By: Rainer Zitelmann

Dr Rainer Zitelmann is a German historian, sociologist and author. His latest book is The Rich in Public Opinion: What We Think When We Think About Wealth, which has recently been published by the Cato Institute.

The EU’s plans for a ‘social sustainability’ taxonomy are a dangerous intervention

RAINER ZITELMANN

A few weeks ago, there were heated discussions in the European Union about the so-called “taxonomy,” which will give the EU Commission and European authorities the power to determine which investments are good (i.e. green and sustainable) and which are not. The classifications issued in Brussels would then steer investors’ money in the “right” direction. [...]
No, not that German election: An anti-capitalist referendum on rent prices

Entrepreneurs can breathe a sigh of relief and stay in Germany without having to worry about emigrating. At least for now. A government made up of Germany’s three biggest left-wing parties was narrowly averted in Sunday’s elections. Narrowly is the operative word, because the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and Die Linke (the former communist [...]
Analysis: Last German state election could provide clues to Bundestag poll itself

What does the last state election before Germany’s Bundestag poll tell us about the future of the country’s politics – and the EU? German historian and sociologist Rainer Zitelmann takes a look. On Sunday, elections were held in Saxony-Anhalt – one of the five former East German states. The election had long been the subject [...]

Capitalism is the solution, not the problem, when we look at climate change

June 5, 2021

One of the most frequently raised arguments against capitalism is that it is the primary driver of environmental pollution and climate change. But if we compare Yale University’s ranking of countries with the highest environmental performance with the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, a very different correlation emerges. Read more: In the lead up [...]
The Green Party candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor could control a fiercely left-wing German Government

April 20, 2021

For the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Green Party has nominated a candidate in the race to be Chancellor and succeed Angela Merkel. This morning, the party announced 40-year-old Annalena Baerbock to stand in the September 27 election. After Merkel’s Christian Democrats, the Greens are polling in second [...]
Review: How socialism became the failed idea that never dies

March 6, 2021

German writer and economist Rainer Zettleman looks at a new book on the enduring – and illogical – appeal of socialism Why have socialist ideas once again developed such a strong appeal, even though every single socialist experiment over the past 100 years has failed? British economist Kristian Niemietz provides an answer in his book Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies. He cites over two dozen socialist [...]
Von Der Leyen’s vaccine strategy violates the EU’s founding principles

February 9, 2021

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has conceded that individual countries could have vaccinated their populations quicker had they acted alone rather than relying on the EU’s collective vaccine purchase and distribution program. She has effectively acknowledged that her vaccine procurement programme violated a fundamental principle of the European Union’s founding treaties. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has published an op-ed in the leading German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “I ask myself the same questions every day: Could we have been much [...]
Why has Donald Trump done much better than Europeans expected — again?

November 4, 2020

As was the case four years ago, most media outlets in Europe have been predicting a massive victory for the Democrats. Now the election results are much tighter than expected. Why? Well, among lots of Europeans it was the wish for an overwhelming victory for Joe Biden that shaped the narrative. The majority of western [...]
Coronavirus: The state is strong where it should be weak, and weak where it should be strong

April 16, 2020

After politicians in countries all around the world – including political leaders in the United States and Europe – initially ignored and massively underestimated the dangers associated with the coronavirus, it is now clear that huge numbers of people will sooner or later become infected. Even with decisive action, hundreds of thousands will die worldwide. [...]
Germany’s SPD following Labour’s footsteps

December 2, 2019

Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) have just elected Norbert Walter-Borjans, the former finance minister of north Rhine-Westphalia, and Saskia Esken, a member of the German parliament, as their party’s new joint leaders. The two left-wing candidates gained 53.06 per cent of the vote in the run-off election, clearly beating the moderate German vice-chancellor Olaf Scholz, and [...]

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