This paper examines whether the different macroeconomic performances of the German economy in two post-war decades provide evidence for the theory (first advanced by Mancur Olson) that sharp institutional breaks are conducive to economic growth because they destroy the existing network of...

The essays collected in this volume discuss the life and work of Herbert Giersch, who was President of the Institute of World Economy Kiel and a founding member of the German Council of Economic Experts. (Published in German.)