Vom radikalen Neustart zur Ernüchterung #394 REFRESH | bto – der Ökonomie-Podcast von Dr. Stelter

Shortly before the German federal election in February 2025, Professor Hans-Werner Sinn analyzed the parties' election manifestos in episode #277 of bto. His conclusion: Germany needed a radical restart that went far beyond Agenda 2010. However, none of the parties running – neither the CDU/CSU, SPD, Greens, FDP, BSW, nor AfD – had provided the necessary economic policy answers to halt the decline. Fourteen months later, the record of the CDU/CSU-SPD coalition under Friedrich Merz fits the picture Sinn painted: Defense spending is increasing, financed by debt; the debt brake has been undermined through special funds; instead of reform, the pension package with the third phase of the mothers' pension and the active pension further expands the welfare state; and the IMF Fiscal Monitor (April 2026) identifies Germany as the industrialized nation with the greatest fiscal deterioration. Since the episode "Election Without an Election?" Sinn has followed up with his new book, "Trump, Putin, and the United States of Europe" (December 2025), which advocates for a political union with its own army. He has repeatedly and sharply criticized the coalition's economic policies. Time for a bto REFRESH. Note: `COLLAPSE – How We Save Germany: The new book by Daniel Stelter. Now available wherever books are sold. Also available to order from Thalia (https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artik..., Amazon (https://amzn.eu/d/0h7e5Sg6), and geniallokal (https://www.genialokal.de/Produkt/Dan....` Listener Service `Original bto episode #277 Election without a choice?` (February 2025) with Prof. Hans-Werner Sinn: https://tinyurl.com/mrxf2a5z (https://tinyurl.com/mrxf2a5z) Book: Trump, Putin and the United States of Europe by Hans-Werner Sinn: https://tinyurl.com/2wwb2f5d (https://tinyurl.com/2wwb2f5d) €uro Interview: What does history teach us about our situation, Professor Sinn? (December 13, 2025): https://tinyurl.com/yeyf6a7x (https://tinyurl.com/yeyf6a7x) SWR1 Interview: The State of the German Economy with Prof. Hans-Werner Sinn (January 13, 2026): https://tinyurl.com/yc2x85nu (https://tinyurl.com/yc2x85nu) Lecture: The European Defence Alliance by Prof. Hans-Werner Sinn at the IWP Institute for Swiss Economic Policy at the University of Lucerne, April 24, 2026: https://tinyurl.com/35fehvk6 (https://tinyurl.com/35fehvk6) IMF Fiscal Monitor April 2026: https://tinyurl.com/h8rsx7s7 (https://tinyurl.com/h8rsx7s7) Study: Short- and Long-Term Costs of the Welfare State: The Social Security Contribution Memorial Day 2026 by the Market Economy Foundation: https://tinyurl.com/2ref2c2b (https://tinyurl.com/2ref2c2b) Spring 2026 Report of the German Council of Economic Experts: https://tinyurl.com/57er9nvc (https://tinyurl.com/57er9nvc) Beyond the Obvious – New analyses, commentaries, and assessments of the economic and financial situation can be found at think-bto.com (http://www.think-bto.com/). Newsletter – Subscribe to the monthly bto newsletter here (https://think-beyondtheobvious.com/ne.... Editorial Contact – We welcome your opinions, suggestions, and criticism at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]). Beyond the Obvious – New analyses, commentaries, and assessments on the economic and financial situation can be found at think-bto.com (http://www.think-bto.com/). Newsletter – Subscribe to the monthly bto newsletter here (https://think-beyondtheobvious.com/ne.... Editorial Contact – We welcome your opinions, suggestions, and criticism at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]). Handelsblatt – Handelsblatt turns 80 – and you're invited to celebrate! We're giving you four weeks of free access to all H+ content. For 80 years, Handelsblatt has stood for independent business journalism – contextualizing developments, covering upheavals, making progress visible, and providing new perspectives. Secure our special offer and gain a competitive edge at handelsblatt.com/80. Advertising partner – You can find the Allianz Trade offer at: allianz-trade.de/bto. Further information about the offers from our current advertising partners can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.