ABSTRACT
Germany has only very limited natural resources. Hardly any of them can be exploited profitably under conditions of worldwide competition. The main basis of its national wealth is therefore its manpower. The provision of skills through education and training, and the ingenuity and commitment of Germany’s 82 million inhabitants are key factors for the wealth of the nation-and ‘wealth’ goes far beyond a purely economic notion. This paper is concerned with the question how the German ‘dual system’ deals on a policy level with changes in the world of work and what role consensus plays in that process.
