The Bottom Line

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Episode details

Radio 4,·08 Oct 2026,·35 mins

Available for over a year

What is going wrong with the largest economy in Europe? It accounts for roughly one-third of the continent's total manufacturing output but since 2020 there's been very little growth. Some people suggest the problems facing the country have been brewing for decades. It's argued Germany has been slow to adapt to modern ways of doing business and hasn't kept up with industrial competition from abroad. Evan Davis is joined by a panel of experts to understand how much trouble the German economy is in, why it's struggling and what it can do to revive itself. Guests: Verena Pausder: Chair of the German Start-Up Association Nicola Pinder: Business expansion consultant for the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg Marcel Fratzscher: President of the German Institute for Economic Research Wolfgang Munchau: Journalist and Author of Kaput, The End of the German Miracle Presenter: Evan Davis Producers: Nick Holland & Sally Abrahams Sound: Dave O'Neill & Donald MacDonald Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Matt Willis