Between East and West? East Germany’s Employment System in a Dynamic Comparison

Abstract

This article investigates how working conditions in East Germany differ from those in West Germany as well as from those among its Central and Eastern European (CEE) neighbors (Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland). Building on repeated International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) survey data (1989, 1997, 2005, and 2015), the author compares key elements of East Germany’s employment system with West Germany and its CEE neighbors over time. The results show that, initially, East Germany’s conditions resembled a logic reflecting the need for economic survival that was distinct from West Germany and from the emerging general patterns of its CEE neighbors. By 2015, East and West German working conditions nearly converge. This article develops and extends the employment system approach to address situations of transformation and substantial institutional change, and contributes to the ongoing debate on regional diversity in Germany’s economy.