High Levels of Governance Mask Slow Decline in Germany, New Scientific Report Finds
Los Angeles/DNA – A new scientific report released just weeks before Germany’s parliamentary elections on February 23 has concluded that the country’s high levels of governance have been masking a slow decline in its political, economic, and social systems. The report, conducted by researchers from the Berggruen Institute think tank, the Luskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Hertie School, a German university, is based on the Berggruen Governance Index (BGI).
According to the report, titled “Germany 2025 – Slow decline in governance performance erupts into crisis of government as geopolitics worsen”, Germany’s government and administrative systems have become increasingly stagnant and resistant to necessary changes. The researchers warn that effective and often difficult reforms are urgently needed, but are hindered by political and economic constraints.
The 2024 BGI, which measures democratic accountability, delivery of public goods, and state capacity on a scale from 0 to 100, shows that Germany has lost ground on all three measures. The report cites structural issues that have been festering since the seemingly prosperous years of Angela Merkel’s chancellorship (2005-2021) as the root cause of this decline. For example, the Democracy Accountability Index score has dropped from a near-perfect 99 at the beginning of the century to 93 in 2021.
The report also reveals that Germany’s economic troubles have worsened in recent years due to a lack of public investment in crucial areas such as digitalization and transportation infrastructure. This has led to a decline in social trust within Europe’s largest economy.
The upcoming parliamentary elections were called early after the ruling three-party coalition, consisting of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), collapsed in November. The main factor behind the break-up was intra-governmental conflict over how to revive the country’s ailing economy.
But the researchers claim that the potential new government under the conservative CDU/CSU alliance and its candidate for chancellorship, Friedrich Merz, may only exacerbate existing divisions rather than resolving them. Merz has promised a hardline stance on immigration, despite its essential role in Germany’s future growth. This stance has caused outrage among other political parties, as Merz has also expressed willingness to work with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in order to pass controversial immigration policies.
The report also highlights the rise of anti-immigrant attitudes in Germany, which have been exploited by both the extreme right and left. These tensions have been further amplified by a recent deadly stabbing involving a migrant facing deportation.
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This news story was distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/ on Friday, January 31, 2025.