For Germany as a strongly export-oriented economy competitiveness on the international
markets is of critical importance for its wealth and economic growth. A loss of competitive
advantages could therefore severely affect the German economy. The aim of this book is to
answer the question if and in what way this threat affected Germany's economic competitiveness
during the European debt crisis. The results will then be used to further define the publicly
dominant disadvantages as well as possible advantages for Germany as a consequence of the
crisis. In the end the book also has the objective to give policy recommendations for the euro
crisis from a German perspective. The results can subsequently contribute to the discussion
whether Germany's current policy is really without any alternative. In order to achieve the
overall research goal a combination of literature review and comprehensive data analysis is
used. First of all to provide a first pillar of contextual background for the following
analysis an overview of the development and causes of the European debt crisis is given by
referring to existing literature. Also this section presents the financial and economic
consequences of the described events in a graphical manner. Secondly to construct the second
pillar of conceptual framework the term economic competitiveness is defined by a comprehensive
literature review. Emphasis is put upon the concept of ability to sell and the measurement
method of the country rankings while a short overview of other concepts is also provided.
Finally in combining theory and practice an in-depth data-based analysis of the development
of Germany's economic competitiveness is given. With the help of various publicly available
data sources Germany's ability to sell and other competitiveness metrics are tracked and
elaborated on over the last centuries with a special emphasis on the timeframe of the European
debt crisis. Furthermore comparisons to other countries are made to emphasize characteristics
unique to Germany. Ultimately the results of the analyses are evaluated and concluded in a
short discussion about Germany's current policy in the euro crisis. In this book: - the
European debt crisis - the role of Germany - competitiveness - prosperity - ability to sell
