25 Years of German Unification: How Do We Stand – And Where Do We Go From Here?

On 3 October 2015 Germany celebrated the 25th anniversary of its reunification. The end of the nation’s division created major chances and new development possibilities. Major advances have been made in improving economic and social living conditions since reunification. But not all initial expectations were fulfilled. To mark this anniversary, the Ifo Institute organised a scientific conference that highlighted the key aspects of economic development in the eastern German Länder since 1991, weighed up successes and failures in various areas, and outlined perspectives for the future. Several contributions based on speeches given at the conference are published in this issue: