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by michaelscott 1885 days ago
I don't know if it's intentional separation of powers. The American culture is very individualistic, especially compared to the German. This just naturally means that American companies tend to "go it alone" in relation to the public sector for longer than they would in Germany.

Certainly when American companies get to the right size they seem to become much closer to the political bodies that matter to them and their interests, as is the case likely everywhere
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ChuckNorris89 1885 days ago
>The American culture is very individualistic, especially compared to the German.

I wouldn't rush to this conclusion. US billionaires usually run many charity funds whereas German billionaires rarely do anything like that.

Also, German businesses owners don't seem to mind exploiting people's health and the environment (VW emissions scandal) or foreign workers [1] if it makes them money, so I think the same issues that plague capitalism in the US (greed) affect Germany too.

Otherwise, the wealth gap between rich and poor wouldn't be rising so steeply in Germany [2][3] if they wouldn't be so individualistic.

[1]https://m.dw.com/en/germany-meat-industry-conditions/a-54033...

[2]https://www.iamexpat.de/expat-info/german-expat-news/inherit...

[3]https://m.dw.com/en/study-shows-growing-wealth-inequality-in...

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fh973 1885 days ago
You can generalize that: German government doesn't mind exploiting people's health and the environment, and prioritizes industry interests. Two current examples: the ongoing ignorance about ground water pollution [1], and the Diesel air pollution affair, which is far from being over [2].

[1] https://www.dw.com/en/eu-sues-germany-over-water-tainted-by-... [2] https://www.rhein-zeitung.de/deutschland-und-welt/wirtschaft... (no English source)

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luckylion 1885 days ago
> I think the same issues that plague capitalism in the US (greed) affect Germany too.

Definitely. It's a cultural thing, Germany (along with most Western countries) seems to follow the US in that regard.

The individualism <=> collectivism scale is well studied, and there's a significant gap between the US and Germany.

http://clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimension...

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