Germany what makes it tick

[Stockguru]

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Family led business that specialize on a product and concentrate on quality before seeking international market. A school system that emphasis more on technical skills thus absorbing more in skilled labor market and creating value for businesses

[RV Pundit]

At the core of Germany, Swiss, Gujarati Indians,Jews, Igbos, name them is apprecentirship/cottage industry inherited from family; You dont need to go far but study how small Kenya indian community punch way above it's weight. It's down to family-run enterprises - where man, wife, kids and related - are all working on family business. Most Luo mechanics dont go to school - they become apprentices- if they combined it with vocational college training - we would be making cars now.

Schooling meant to generate professionals is overrated. If you father is a farmer - you grow up already a good farmer - go to school and study agriculture - and become an even greater farmer. But our education system teaches us to despite anything non-white collar. This is why we need to dismantle exams and CBC is great...going to university should not be a focus of our schooling system

For Kenya, TIVET+ Apprecentership should be the way to go. All companies and individuals should be given incentives to take one or two kids to work for them - while learning real skills.

Family led business that specialize on a product and concentrate on quality before seeking international market. A school system that emphasis more on technical skills thus absorbing more in skilled labor market and creating value for businesses

[KenyanPlato]

Agreed. My mum is a great farmer. Very intelligent in the way she does it. If I had taken my finance degree to her farm we would do wonders. As matter of fact. The problem with us is lack of focus. My dad should have kept on banking and real estate and never gone to farming. He is a terrible decision maker on farming and we just realized the guy was losing a 100k a month on his dairy cattle operation

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

At the core of Germany, Swiss, Gujarati Indians,Jews, Igbos, name them is apprecentirship/cottage industry inherited from family; You dont need to go far but study how small Kenya indian community punch way above it's weight. It's down to family-run enterprises - where man, wife, kids and related - are all working on family business. Most Luo mechanics dont go to school - they become apprentices- if they combined it with vocational college training - we would be making cars now.

Schooling meant to generate professionals is overrated. If you father is a farmer - you grow up already a good farmer - go to school and study agriculture - and become an even greater farmer. But our education system teaches us to despite anything non-white collar. This is why we need to dismantle exams and CBC is great...going to university should not be a focus of our schooling system

For Kenya, TIVET+ Apprecentership should be the way to go. All companies and individuals should be given incentives to take one or two kids to work for them - while learning real skills.

Financial prudence is also big in these communities you mentioned, they don't go to banks to finance their businesses. They invest their profits to grow their business. This mindset is also central to Germany's fiscal and monetary stance. Obama and Geithner used to prod Germany to spend in order to stimulate Eurozone economy but they refused, Keynesian ideas never penetrated that country. Harebrained schemes like SGR would instantly be shot down. If it were not for Germany the ECB would be printing Euros to offset the large sovereign debts, you would get inflation and a third world type currency. They are the adults in the room.

Germany's Mittlestand or SME businesses are the antithesis of the Anglo Saxon model based on credit, stock markets and endless expansion. It is an economy built for stability and long time horizons not necessarily for profits, a concept that is baffling to many people steeped in the Anglo American tradition.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

Their engineering is conservative too.  They have a tendency to adopt only mature technologies.  It has its pros and cons.  It means that while their things are reliable, they are rarely groundbreaking.

[Nefertiti]

Their engineering is conservative too.  They have a tendency to adopt only mature technologies.  It has its pros and cons.  It means that while their things are reliable, they are rarely groundbreaking.

I imagine they have no ambition to lead humanity to Mars and such excitements. Unlike say the Americans, Chinese or Russians.

[RV Pundit]

They would if germany had not been sanctioned after WW2. Those are gov project mostly - and offshot to private sector. German gov budget is probably second to the US. Obviously after WW2 - they are not allowed in US/China/Russia games.

I imagine they have no ambition to lead humanity to Mars and such excitements. Unlike say the Americans, Chinese or Russians.