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The establishment of market-economy structures in the former GDR raises the question to what degree a market economy culture exists among East Germans, i.e. the existence of orientations and behavioural dispositions that are congruent with market-economy structures. This question is analysed on the basis of surveys conducted in East and West Germany within the year following unification in October 1990. The empirical analyses show that immediately after unification the East Germans already supported the achievement principle of the market economy to the same degree as West Germans. At the same time, they harbour higher expectations regarding the role of government, expectations which are more congruent with a planned economy. Accordingly, the economic culture in East Germany appears to be a mixed culture comprised of elements of both market and planned economies. Additional analyses indicate that the plannedeconomy elements in this economic culture probably stem from system-internal experiences whereas the market economy elements stem from system-external experiences.
Edeltraud Roller (Thu,) studied this question.