Economists expect negative consequences from the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia. In a survey of 185 economists conducted by the Munich-based Ifo Institute, a good 78 percent said they expected negative or very negative consequences for the business location. Only just under three percent see positive or very positive consequences.
“The unanimous assessment by economic experts that support for radical parties will seriously damage Germany as a business location should be a wake-up call for the population,” says Niklas Potrafke, director of the Ifo Center for Public Finance and Political Economy. “These results underline how strongly election results influence economic expectations.”
Less attractive for skilled workers
The economic experts surveyed see the consequences of the AfD’s successes for the attractiveness of the states to skilled workers as particularly negative. Almost 84 percent of those surveyed expect negative or very negative consequences, while only three percent expect positive or very positive consequences. A clear majority of 77 percent also expect negative consequences for companies’ investment decisions, while just under 2 percent see positive effects.
The results of the BSW are also a cause for concern among economists. A good 60 percent see negative consequences for the business location, while only just under 2 percent see positive ones. “The effects of the BSW’s election success on economic development are assessed as somewhat less negative compared to the AfD,” says Ifo researcher Aaron Günther.
Consequences for Thuringia stronger
If you ask the researchers about the results of the state elections separately for both states, the answers are also clearly negative: For Saxony, 67 percent of the answers are negative but only 3 percent are positive; for Thuringia, the result is 74 to 2.
For the survey, 185 German economics professors were interviewed between September 3 and 10.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240916-930-233727/1
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