Beyond Economics: Reevaluating the Success of West Germany's Guest Worker Program
Persistent URL
Author(s)
Davis, Sarah
Date Issued
November 22, 2011
Abstract
West Germany's guest worker program from 1961 – 1973 provided the German economy a substantial boost, helping Germans to achieve phenomenal growth. Thus, from a purely economic perspective, it is often considered a given that the guest workers were beneficial for Germany. However, this assertion needs to be qualified by other factors, such as social effects, humanitarian concerns, and the actual intentions of guest worker policies. Furthermore, West Germany's position as a global actor in the context of the Cold War needs to be included in this evaluation, namely in regard to the guest worker program's effects on the countries who sent workers as well as West Germany's competition with East Germany. When these factors are accounted for, what results is a more nuanced view of the benefits that the guest workers accrued to West Germany.
Honors
Economics, 2012
First Reader(s)
Gehring, Jacqueline
Other Reader(s)
Pinnow, Kenneth M.
Richter, Jochen
Department
International Studies
Type of Publication
Senior Project Paper
Subjects
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
Davis_Senior Project.pdf
Description
Senior Project
Size
975.93 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (etag)
1d60cbae3a3284d33f305a058cf45385