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In light of mass unemployment in Germany and the growing resentment of unemployment-related policies, it continues to be important to understand policies that are implemented to deal with the millions who are unemployed. This book uncovers the nuances of meaning and their use in the political discourse regarding unemployment in Germany. It analyzes debates of the German Bundestag and official local communications to find rhetorical commonplaces and evaluate their use. The data show that commonplaces discovered in Germany are both similar and different than those used in other European countries and at the EU-level. Political discourse referring to unemployment as a disease, discourse stressing the difference between East and West Germany, and discourse relating to duty and sanctions are unique to the German case. This book offers insight into the functions of political discourse on unemployment in Germany and adds to the existing body of literature in the EU.

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Born and raised in rural East Germany, Heidi experienced first-hand the economic decline after the fall of the Berlin Wall. She pursued her higher education in the US, culminating in an MA in International Affairs at The American University in Washington, D.C. Heidi currently lives in Greensboro, NC, where she works as a study abroad advisor.

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