Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: The ambiguity on trade cost us the Upper Midwest. [View all]pampango
(24,692 posts)85. Great article. Germany does not 'protect their industries' with tariffs of other import restrictions
Instead they help them compete in export markets.
How is Germany doing this? How is a highly regulated, high-wage country with a strong currency increasing its share of the global market in the face of low-cost Asian competition?
These SMEs generally avoid mass markets, but they dominate niche businesses. A 2007 study by the management consultant Bernd Venohr found that more than 1,130 German SMEs held either the number one or two position in the world market for their products, or the number one position in the European market. They are rarely the cheapest producers, yet the superior quality and performance of their products enables them to command premium prices and still boost exports. In the United States, such small and medium firms were hurt most by Chinese competition and the recession.
An important factor in German SME manufacturing success is the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Fraunhofer Society), an independent nongovernmental organization that provides high-quality, short-term, affordable applied research that small and medium-size firms could not otherwise afford. Fraunhofer enables smaller manufacturers to continually upgrade their processes and products, and keep ahead of the competition.
While Fraunhofer's approach does not seem to encourage radical, paradigm-shattering change, it nonetheless demonstrates that a high-cost, high-wage country can compete effectively in global markets through the systematic and continuous application of knowledge.
Thanks for the article. I had not seen it.
It clearly shows that Germany survives in a "highly regulated, high-wage" by exporting rather than by protecting its industries from imports. Its exporters are "rarely the cheapest producers, yet the superior quality and performance of their products enables them to command premium prices and still boost exports".
US manufacturing wages are less than Germany's so we should be able to compete with them if we focused on foreign markets like they do.
an independent nongovernmental organization that provides high-quality, short-term, affordable applied research that small and medium-size firms could not otherwise afford. Fraunhofer enables smaller manufacturers to continually upgrade their processes and products, and keep ahead of the competition.
Again I see no reason why we cannot support small to medium sized American manufacturers in the same way that Germany does.
Again thanks for the article. It answered a lot of questions I had about Germany's economic success.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
86 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
![](du4img/smicon-reply-new.gif)
It's not just the platform, it's that we didn't talk about working people at all.
Ken Burch
Nov 2016
#8
maybe she should've run on issues rather than Trump said this and said that.
Cobalt Violet
Nov 2016
#39
No, that wasn't it. Trump was able to connect with these people in their gut in a way Democrats
geek tragedy
Nov 2016
#2
Globalization is not the only factor. Automation and robotics killed plenty of jobs also.
LonePirate
Nov 2016
#4
OK, but we didn't address that, either. We said nothing about jobs and fear of want at all.
Ken Burch
Nov 2016
#6
Your suggestions are worth pursuing. Maybe Dems at the local level can start the process.
LonePirate
Nov 2016
#13
White rural voters won it in the upper MW on race not what was in the platform
book_worm
Nov 2016
#7
I agree completely - it was the messenger, not the platform wording that lost it for us.
hueymahl
Nov 2016
#59
I'm as much a Dem as you are. I have as much right to identify as part of the party as you do.
Ken Burch
Nov 2016
#20
as a Clinton supporter from the start, there are many reasons, so many confluences as to why we lost
Grey Lemercier
Nov 2016
#30
Thank you. It is DU'ers with YOUR open attitude that will make the difference
Ken Burch
Nov 2016
#32
Hillary Clinton WON by a million votes and counting. The Electoral College has got to go.
Hekate
Nov 2016
#36
We all agree with you about the Electoral College. Nobody here defends that institution.
Ken Burch
Nov 2016
#53
Great article. Germany does not 'protect their industries' with tariffs of other import restrictions
pampango
Nov 2016
#85
Yet a good chunk of the Trump voters are good old boys who like Bill Clinton more than Hillary.
pnwmom
Nov 2016
#83
Some felt, I'm guessing, that voting for the GOP Senate candidate would help Trump get stuff done.
Ken Burch
Nov 2016
#47
I bet the TPP gets passed very quickly once the GOP has the house, senate, and presidency
gollygee
Nov 2016
#55
And nobody is saying it ISN'T a major factor, OR that we shouldn't speak out about it.
Ken Burch
Nov 2016
#62
Sorry...it sounded like you were another person saying it was racism and nothing else.
Ken Burch
Nov 2016
#69