Ludger Schuknecht was chief economist at the German Finance Ministry from 2011 to 2018. He headed the Ministry’s directorate-general for economic and fiscal policy strategy, international economy and finance for seven years. Since 2015, he regularly shared his views on the latest economic and fiscal policy topics.
Letter from the Chief Economist
Letters
-
letter Benefits of international cooperation
The outcomes of Germany’s G20 presidency in the finance track demonstrate the benefits of international cooperation in challenging times, writes chief economist Ludger Schuknecht. With a central focus on the resilience of the G20 economies, digitalisation in the financial sector and the Compact with Africa, Germany's G20 presidency made vital contributions towards the improvement of global …
-
letter No safety with “European Safe Bonds”
In a joint contribution for the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung MoF’s chief economist Ludger Schuknecht and his colleague Levin Holle, Director General for Financial market policy, share their opinion on the concept of European Safe Bonds (ESBies) and explain why they are not convinced that ESBies are the right instrument to foster stability and safety in European financial …
-
letter Exit from the extraordinary
Which way is the right one going forward when it comes to macroeconomic policy? While some consider continuation of monetary stimulus to be the right solution, others would rather advise not to take the risks inherent to it any longer. Prior to the IMF’s annual meetings in Washington, D.C. this week MoF chief economist Ludger Schuknecht elaborates on the issue in the latest edition of the letter …
-
letter More debt is the last thing Europe needs
As economies perk up, governments should be balancing their budgets, not abandoning discipline, MoF’s Chief Economist Ludger Schuknecht states in his latest contribution for the Wallstreet Journal that was published on 18th July 2017.
-
letter Has the world been fitted with a debt straightjacket?
The debt overhang is a severe risk for future growth and could become the breeding ground for new crises, says Germany’s 20 Finance Deputy and Chief Economist Ludger Schuknecht.