Christian Odendahl

@codendahl.bsky.social

32K followers 3.3K following 5.4K posts

European economics editor @TheEconomist. London via Berlin, Stockholm and Cologne. Have no plans to write a book.

Videos

Economics 55%

Political science 39%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 13h

Bei Deinem Profil gedacht: ach wat, noch ein Kölner.

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 13h

Sample size of my personal study is 3, but I have it on good source that it was the favourite elsewhere, too.

So simple, so good. ⚠️ Warning: you will have to read this A LOT.

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Yaroslava @strategywoman.bsky.social · 13h

Ukraine is more than the war –
I repeat it so often.

I’m grateful to everyone who wants to learn more about my dear country.

If you missed Sunday Letter about traditional youth gatherings on winter evenings in the 19th and early 20th centuries, you can read it here
www.patreon.com/posts/144712...

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 13h

Fascinated this evening by how this book is just the absolute best for 18 months to 2-year-olds. Incredible.

(There is a German and English version.)

www.ecoledesloisirs.fr/livre/livre-...

Le livre des bruits

Voici le livre des bruits, de presque tous les bruits. Pour bien se rappeler que la trompette fait pouêt, que le pétard fait boum, que le loup fait oooouuuh et le hibou ouh ouh, que le rhume fait atch...

www.ecoledesloisirs.fr

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 1d

So much going on in this tweet.

MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 1d

🇩🇪 Shmyhal: Ukraine will receive a record €11.5 billion from Germany for artillery, drones, military equipment, and other gear.

🇫🇷 Macron will host Zelensky in Paris on Monday to discuss conditions for a "fair and lasting peace in Ukraine."

4/5

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 1d

Reposted by Christian Odendahl, Michael Jones‐Correa

Merle Meyerdierks @merleperle23.bsky.social · 1d

#KI hilft bei der Automatisierung....

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

The Economist @economist.com · 2d

“Nushu” was easier to learn than standard Chinese, and was sung rather than spoken. It became a natural medium for women denied education in rural China. Our obituary of the steward of the ancient language

He Yanxin was the steward of a women-only language

The last natural inheritor of nushu died on October 23rd, aged 86

econ.st

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

ido @ido.bsky.social · 2d

German is a beautiful language.

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

Nah, that inheritance is very uneven and can hardly be what policymakers can base their pension systems on.

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

Notice also how the red line stagnates around 2008 and even falls in 2009/2010. Those are the birth cohort 1943-1945 turning 65, the smallest in Germany.

In other words, World War 2 is the other big reason why demographic change took a break during that time. (Germany's boomers are younger.)

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

Also saw this fantastic chart. Red: pure age-related ratio of old to young. Green: number of old vs. number of employed. Employment boom post-2006 helped a lot.

(And led politicians to add new pension gimmmicks.)

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

Verrückt!

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

That means, those who paid about 30-35% during their work-life now want the young to pay 41%++ to fund pensioners' consumption and services.

In the debate, the burden of proof is on those what want (more) stable contribution rates.

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

The German #pension debate has one big problem: the burden of proof is on the young, not the old.

Total social insurances* contributions were at 27% in 1970, 32% in 1980, 36% in 1990 and 41% in 2000.

*) pension, unemployment, health, care

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

So many beautiful economics papers will follow from this arbitrary kink in the tax code.

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

Homeowners rush to price properties just under ‘mansion tax’ thresholds on.ft.com/3Ma4816

Homeowners rush to price properties just under ‘mansion tax’ thresholds

Estate agents say ‘bunching’ practice likely to pick up pace ahead of start of surcharge in April 2028

on.ft.com

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

Homeowners rush to price properties just under ‘mansion tax’ thresholds on.ft.com/3Ma4816

Homeowners rush to price properties just under ‘mansion tax’ thresholds

Estate agents say ‘bunching’ practice likely to pick up pace ahead of start of surcharge in April 2028

on.ft.com

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

His conclusion:

"It follows that allowing much of the restructuring to happen — towards higher-tech parts of manufacturing and advanced services — is better than resisting it. Or in simpler terms, Germany has more to gain by embracing the future than salvaging the past."

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 2d

Very much enjoyed reading @martinsandbu.ft.com 2-parter on German industry. The 2 parts are listed here: www.ft.com/free-lunch?e...

Free Lunch

www.ft.com

Reposted by Christian Odendahl, Will Jennings, David Burrows , and 3 more Christian Odendahl, Will Jennings, David Burrows, Peter Holmes, Mark Priestley, Nicolai von Ondarza

The Times & Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 2d

Kemi Badenoch says welfare spending is unchristian

www.thetimes.com

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Second Mentions @secondmentions.bsky.social · 2d

Langoustines: "the coral-coloured shellfish"

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Langoustines stolen from doorstep of Michelin-star restaurant

There is concern within London's fine-dining community that more targeted thefts are taking place.

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Henrique Laitenberger @toenlaiten.bsky.social · 3d

This is not the view of our European tech firms, far from it: we want and need this Digital Omnibus precisely to make sure that our companies can have a fair shot at competing in this global landscape and safeguard the European digital model, including with its fundamental civic rights dimension.

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Gavin Jackson @gavinjackson.bsky.social · 3d

40% of net migration being asylum seekers is a very weird stat because you could also say that 140% was study-related. Better to do it as a % of migration flows where asylum is 14%.

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

The Economist @economist.com · 3d

Researchers are using reverse psychology to try and fix badly behaved chatbots

When LLMs learn to take shortcuts, they become evil

The fix is to use some reverse psychology when training a model

econ.st

Reposted by Martin McKee, Nando Sigona, Ben H. Ansell , and 8 more Martin McKee, Nando Sigona, Ben H. Ansell, Christian Odendahl, Richard S.J. Tol, Steve Peers, Alison Phipps, Jussi T. Eronen, Margot C. Finn, Maria Abreu, José Pina-Sánchez

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 3d

Fewer workers. Fewer international students. More people leaving.

A "step in the right direction" according to the PM.

Impossible to take PM/govt seriously on growth if they are deliberately reducing it (and making the fiscal position worse) *as a matter of policy*.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UK net migration falls sharply with drop in arrivals for work and study

Provisional figures for net migration to the UK show levels dropped to 204,000 in the year to June 2025.

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Jaap Burger @jaapburger.eu · 3d

Now imagine V2G coming to this vehicle segment…

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

David Carretta @davidcarretta.bsky.social · 6d

We are testing La Matinale Européenne in English.

Today’s long reading by me: The Limits of the EU’s “Daddy Diplomacy”

Don’t miss our brief and the new Trump’s blackmail “less rules on digital, less tariffs”.

With @cspillmann.bsky.social and @grimmse.bsky.social 👇