Economists skeptical of Germany's potential grand coalition gov't: survey

BERLIN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A majority of German economists take a skeptical view towards Germany's new potential grand coalition government, a latest survey publicized on Monday showed.

Only about a third of surveyed economists favor a grand coalition, another 40 percent support a minority government under the leadership of the union party, while 25 percent are for a new election, according to the survey conducted by research institute Ifo and German media Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Participants criticize the coalition's lack of ambition in terms of both taxation policy and the expansion of high-speed internet.

Restrictions in asylum policy meet with widespread approval, but many surveyed would favor even stricter restrictions, showed the survey, in which 131 German economists were involved.

"The grand coalition's plans are far from a great success. German economists see highlights and lowlights in the coalition's policies," noted Niklas Potrafke, analyst with Ifo.

In addition, the economists surveyed were also skeptical about the question of whether a new grand coalition will prepare Germany well for the future. Enditem