There is some irony in the fact that the strongest proponent of austerity has been German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, because Germany, particularly under her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrat-led government, did much more to liberalize the country’s rules for labor and business than other EU governments. Expansive, growth-based policy could work better in Germany than in many eurozone countries for which it is being prescribed.
而讽刺的是，紧缩政策的最热情拥护者之所以是德国总理默克尔的政府，因为德国——尤其是在她的前任总理施罗德的社会民主党主导政府任上——已经在解放该国对劳动和企业规管方面比其他欧盟国家做出了更多努力。因此扩张性，以增长为基础的政策在德国能比许多欧元区国家取得更好的效果。