Regional inequalities in Germany: evolution and factors associated with the convergence process

Since its reunification in the early 1990s, Germany has been adopting several public policies aimed at establishing equivalent living conditions throughout the country. In this paper, we describe the evolution of the regional inequalities in Germany and we discuss, based on official documents and ac...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Cavalcante, Luiz Ricardo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC)
Repositorio:Redes (Santa Cruz do Sul. Online)
Idioma:portugués
inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.online.unisc.br:article/18924
Acceso en línea:https://online.unisc.br/seer/index.php/redes/article/view/18924
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Alemania
Reunificación
Desigualdades regionales
Convergencia
Germany
Reunification
Regional inequalities
Convergence
Alemanha
Reunificação
Desigualdades regionais
Convergência
Descripción
Sumario:Since its reunification in the early 1990s, Germany has been adopting several public policies aimed at establishing equivalent living conditions throughout the country. In this paper, we describe the evolution of the regional inequalities in Germany and we discuss, based on official documents and academic papers, the factors associated with the convergence process observed throughout the last thirty years. The documents indicate that, over this period: i) there was a convergence process between the former West and East Germany; ii) regional inequalities continue to persist in the country; iii) the convergence process, yet continuous over the entire period, was more intense in the first years after reunification. Initially, the elimination of barriers to capital and people mobility motivated an accelerated reduction of the inequalities. Subsequently, national policies with unbalanced regional impacts and explicit regional policies contributed to the reduction of the inequalities. We argue that some elements observed in Germany may be used as a reference for Brazil, where regional inequalities have been high and resilient for several decades.