Opinion Economics Warning
AfD poll values deter qualified people? This is only the half truth
As of: 11:06 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Ulrike Malmendier, member of the “Wirtschaftswise”
Source: pa/dpa/Bernd von Jutrczenka
The German economist Ulrike Malmendier fears that the upsurge in right-wing populists could scare away urgently needed foreign specialists. But as obvious as this connection may seem at first glance: Germany as a location is a deterrent for completely different reasons.
The economist Ulrike Malmendier warns that the consequences for the business location and the immigration of skilled workers would be serious if the AfD’s upswing were to continue. And is sometimes sharply criticized for it in the so-called social media.
There is definitely one point to this economic approach: many areas in which right-wing voters are more often than average are also regions with little influx, as the migratory movements of recent years have shown.
This does not only apply to migrants, by the way. Districts with high poll numbers for right-wing parties have lost hundreds of thousands of young people – and there has also been no immigration from within Germany.
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Only: It is a chicken and egg problem. You have to deal with why the AfD is so popular and then develop clear strategies to win back voters. The federal government in particular lacks self-criticism here. A list of possible reasons that drive people to the AfD would be long.
Just one example in the context of migration: There is hardly any other country in which so many people have immigrated in recent years as to Germany. But too many end up in the social system, and too few end up in the labor market in the long term. At the same time, the news situation has stuck with many voters: immigration law will be further liberalized, but the “repatriation offensive” announced in the coalition agreement will not materialize.
Nevertheless, the effect that poll numbers of an opposition party without realistic prospects of power have on migration is overestimated. Last week WELT reported on one of the largest migration studies in recent years. It is therefore not political debates, but very pragmatic reasons that deter talent from abroad.
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A jungle of authorities, endless waiting times, a lack of transparency, double work and a lack of digitization make the immigration process unnecessarily long and inflexible. It takes one to three (!) years from the decision to migrate to taking up a job. The majority of those who had planned to immigrate to Germany drop out during this time, the study shows.
Another reason why skilled workers avoid Germany or move on after a short time is the high tax and duty ratio. Western competitors have left us behind here. In addition, however, a clever reform proposal from the economists has so far been a long time coming.
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