More on the Series
January 6, 2006
The experts are finally going to have to put their money where their mouth is. And you get to vote: Who is Germany`s "Economist of the Year".
But this isn't just going to be a fun day out of the office - our analysts are going to have to put their theories to the test. You can follow their progress from the 20th December on, here on Made in Germany, in collaboration with Germany's top economic`s magazine, the Handelsblatt.
Norbert Walter, chief economist of Deutsche Bank will be trading his smart suit for a green apron. He'll be selling fruit and veg on the Schecker family's market stall in Frankfurt. He has long accused Germans of being unable to sell their products - now he can show us how it should be done!
According to Michael Heise, we're just going to have to get used to high oil and petrol prices. Whinging about it isn't going to get us anywhere, he says. But can he convince motorists of that? We're putting him to the test at an Esso petrol station, where he'll have to check tire pressure and oil levels, wash windscreens and debate the topic with drivers.
Michael Hüther doesn`t believe in holding back when it comes to reform, and he`s clearly keen to make drastic cuts to the job market! Hüther`s long been calling for a let-up in employment protection laws, but his employer-friendly ideas don`t make him popular with everyone. So we`re putting him to work in a DIY store Baumarkt, where he can put his ideas to blue-collar workers. He always wanted to be a joiner after all...
Other contestants for the covered title of "German economist of the year":
Hans-Werner Sinn, Head of the Ifo Munich Institute
Thomas Straubaar, President of the Hamburg World Economic Institute
Holger Schmieding, Chief Economist at the Bank of America, London
Bert Rürup, German Council of Economic Advisors
Jürgen Pfister, Chief Economist at the Bayerischer Landesbank