Economic espionage significantly boosted GDR productivity, study finds

A new study by the Rockwool Foundation Berlin indicates that economic espionage significantly boosted the economic performance of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Based on analysis of intelligence archives and digitized corporate records, researchers found that espionage helped increase the country's economic output by 7.4 percent by 1988.

The industrial value added was reportedly 22.3 percent higher due to espionage, equivalent to approximately 20.2 billion Ostmarks or 4.1 billion euros in 2020 prices. Albrecht Glitz, the project leader from Pompeu Fabra University, noted that while the Stasi's activities strengthened the GDR's position within the socialist bloc, they did not significantly improve success in Western markets.

However, companies that received valuable intelligence showed faster productivity growth, higher investment in capital stock, and greater specialization in core products. These advantages also improved their chances of surviving the transition to a market economy following German reunification. The study highlights that the GDR operated one of the world's largest economic espionage programs during the Cold War, targeting Western scientific and technical information.