Ones and Tooze Is Olaf Scholz the German Joe Biden?
Oct 1, 2021
Dive into the political dynamics of Germany as Olaf Scholz rises to power, drawing intriguing comparisons to Joe Biden. Explore his shift from centrist policies to a progressive economic approach, focusing on public investment and fiscal reform. Meanwhile, unravel the paradox of Greece's financial recovery, where it now borrows at near-zero interest rates, despite its tumultuous past. The hosts tackle investor behavior and the implications of rising inflation, making for a thought-provoking discussion on European economies.
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Scholz's Early Career
- Olaf Scholz, born in 1958, joined the Young Socialists in the 1970s and became a law student.
- He later served as Labour minister, managing Germany's short-time working system during the 2008 crisis.
Search for a Progressive Identity
- The centrist economic platform developed by Scholz in the 1990s contributed to Germany's economic success.
- This left Social Democrats searching for a new progressive identity.
Scholz as Finance Minister
- As finance minister, Scholz navigated the "debt break" to increase public investment.
- He also focused on international corporate taxation and European financial policy.