Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln
;
Mariia Bondar

good bye lenin revisited: east-west preferences three decades after german reunification

In this paper, we document that living under Communism vs. Capitalism has lasting effects on preferences for a strong government. Relying on the natural experiment of German reunification and extending the analysis of Alesina and Fuchs-Schündeln (2007), we show that East Germans still have stronger preferences for redistribution than West Germans 27 years after reunification. While convergence of preferences occurs, the speed of convergence decreases significantly over time. Evidence from cohorts born after German reunification points towards significant intergenerational transmission of preferences.

Data and Resources

Suggested Citation

Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola; Bondar, Mariia (2023): Good Bye Lenin Revisited: East-West Preferences Three Decades After German Reunification. Version: 1. German Economic Review. Dataset. http://dx.doi.org/10.15456/ger.2023034.1142113842

JEL Codes