Conclusion

This final chapter of the book summarizes the argument, discusses its main findings, and situates the German case in a broader comparative framework. The chapter mentions possible extensions of the argument especially with respect to the role of the education system for Germany’s variant of coordinated capitalism (in particular in contrast to its Scandinavian homologue). It then summarizes the argument of how the German welfare state provided capital and labor with functional equivalents for the structures of neo-corporatist concertation which Germany’s federal and “economically liberal” polity lacks. Finally, the chapter discusses the implications of the argument for a comparative political economy of advanced capitalisms.