Publikationen des Projekts: Strukturwandel in Kohleregionen

Lessons from Germany's Hard Coal Mining Phase-Out: Policies and Transition from 1950 to 2018

German hard coal production ended in 2018, following the termination of subsidies. This paper looks at 60 years of continuous decline of an industry that employed more than 600,000 people, through a case study comparing Germany’s two largest hard coal mining areas (Ruhr area and Saarland). Although predominantly economic drivers underlay the transitions, both provide valuable lessons for upcoming coal ...