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eru · 2016-05-29 · Original thread
Come to think of it, the old Prussia probably did a better job. Eg when they welcomed the Huguenots after the French kicked 'em out.

"Preußen und die Marktwirtschaft" (whttps://www.amazon.de/Preu%C3%9Fen-die-Marktwirtschaft-Erhar...) is a fun read, if you don't mind taking it with a pinch of salt or two.

The author argues how much more efficient the Prussian state was compared to modern Germany. Eg 200 years ago they were devastated from the defeat by Napoleon but managed to invent and establish the modern university that everyone copied---and all that with less public servants for the whole of Prussia than a medium sized town these days.

eru · 2010-01-21 · Original thread
There's a German book called "Preußen und die Marktwirtschaft" ("Prussia and Capitalism") by Ehrhardt Bödecker. (http://www.amazon.de/Preußen-die-Marktwirtschaft-Ehrhardt-Bö...)

It cites a lot of statistics showing how the public sector swelled in the federal republic compared to the Kaiserreich. (Prussia made up the vast majority of the Reich.) Alas, it seems to be only available offline and in German.

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