Almost 100 pages are dedicated to an interesting summary of 37 open interviews with a broad range of experts on status emulation, mentality changes, and so on. The experts are also characterized in an ideal type way (the economist, the cynic, the nostalgic, etc.). At the end the author draws conclusions and makes some proposals for reform. As mentioned, in East Germany the "transcendent" dimension is missing and emulative comparisons prevalent. What is needed therefore is a change in cultural dispositions via a postsecular society (Habermas) which can hardly be implemented from above. The often used neoliberal mainstream economic policy combined with the implementation of antagonistic interventions which tried to exploit shortsighted economic incentives (transfers, etc.) failed. What are needed among other things are what the author calls "Veblenian heroes," motivated, for example, by the instinct of workmanship and conspicuous minimalism, fostering a sense of community and personal responsibility and initiative. We can leave open whether Veblenian heroes are the most important cure and whether the capitalism of the West is or should be the end of the road: It can be no doubt that Bohmer has written a very interesting book on the economic problems of German reunification from a cultural economic perspective. He also demonstrates that Veblen's analytical concepts are still very fruitful to understand the world we live in.
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