Unequal Germany. Social and geographical cohesion in democracy

Event as part of the Citizens’ University “Thinking Democracy Forward” in the winter semester 2019/2020

“Now what belongs together is growing together”, said Willy Brandt, and Helmut Kohl predicted “blooming landscapes”. Three decades later, this optimism seems to have faded. Objectively speaking, too, there are still clear differences between East and West, for example in terms of income and management: the vast majority of bosses in the East come from the West; according to a survey published at the beginning of the year, none of the rectors of East German universities were born in the former GDR. Despite prospering regions such as Leipzig or Jena, many East Germans seem to feel left behind and that their life’s work is not appreciated. But it is not only a “gap” between East and West that is becoming apparent. Recent studies indicate that there are also major structural problems in the territory of the old Federal Republic, for example in the Ruhr region.

Discussing on the podium: Prof. Dr. Birgitta Wolff (President of Goethe University), Prof. Dr. Matthias Middell (Speaker FGZ Leipzig), Prof. Dr. Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln (Economist, Goethe University), Prof. Dr. Uwe Cantner (Chairman of the Expert Commission on Research and Innovation of the Federal Government & Vice President University of Jena). Meinhard Schmidt-Degenhard (TV presenter & author) will moderate the event.