The Growth of Defense Spending in Germany (1951–2011): What was the Influence of the Political Parties?

A new study by Björn Kauder and Niklas Potrafke examines whether the ideology of governments is correlated with the growth of German defense spending. Using various measures of government ideology, no effect was found. With regard to the assessment of international risks and threats, the major political parties are in agreement, and government ideology fades into the background. It can be assumed that the consensus among the major parties will continue.