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Under Dr. Edmund Stoiber, the CSU followed a policy of reform and budget consolidation, and tried to make Bavaria into a high-tech state. The Bavarian people appreciated the dividends that the technology strategy paid, but started to get irritated by the impoverishment of public services. In particular, the introduction of college fees, the shortening of high school by one year and large class sizes are unpopular.

How you can hope to become a high-tech state while undermining education is beyond me.

A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Oct 15th, 2008 at 05:08:35 AM EST
Funny aint' it. But some nitpick: going high-tech was already on the agenda of Über-father Strauß, who pushed Airbus, and brought maglev and nuclear research into Bavaria. Stoiber continued the high-tech industry attraction policy, though with a little less luck (see Munich airport maglev line project), and I also note that Bavaria is the top installer of solar power. So Bavaria is in some sense already a high-tech state.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Wed Oct 15th, 2008 at 06:36:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
High tech is often labour-extensive. It's kind of another borrowing against the future strategy, akin to most neoliberal strategies. But at least on the short term, it works.
by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Wed Oct 15th, 2008 at 06:48:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Do you mean labour-intensive? If not, what does labour-extensive mean?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Wed Oct 15th, 2008 at 06:59:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
... labor ... the opposite of intensive.

For a non-renewable example, petroleum refineries are very labor extensive.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Wed Oct 15th, 2008 at 07:22:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The reverse. On second thought, it's not necessarily true. High tech does however assume a large value added per labourer and a set of highly qualified labourers and is thereby not necessarily suited for mass employment (it did pay off in Bavaria, but Bavaria did not have bad unemployment figures). Many East German areas are now also following this track, building up science parks and venturing into biotechnology. It's not necessarily something that will provide big employment opportunities for the inactive workforce existing there.

Except for the green technologies, which only have upsides, of course ;-)

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Wed Oct 15th, 2008 at 07:24:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No, the problem with the inactive workforce is that it's quickly drifting into unemployability.

A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Oct 15th, 2008 at 08:29:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Import the high-tech workers. See America, United States of.

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Wed Oct 15th, 2008 at 08:28:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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