East German Espionage Boosted Economic Output by 7.4% in Late 1980s

• •East Germany's espionage activities increased GDP by 7.4% by 1988.
• •Industrial value added rose by 22.3%, equating to 20.2 billion East German marks.
• •The findings highlight ongoing issues related to export controls and technology protection.

A study by the ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin reveals that East Germany's economic espionage in the 1970s and 1980s increased its GDP by 7.4% by 1988, with industrial value added rising by 22.3%. This equated to 20.2 billion East German marks, or approximately 4.1 billion euros in 2020 prices. The Stasi facilitated the acquisition of scientific and technical information from Western companies, enhancing productivity and investment in East German firms. However, the espionage did not significantly improve East Germany's competitiveness in Western markets. The findings highlight the ongoing relevance of export controls and the protection of strategic technologies in today's geopolitical climate, particularly in light of recent tensions involving Russia and China. Each additional piece of valuable intelligence reportedly generated an annual economic return of about 330,000 euros. The study underscores the importance of intelligence access for economic performance, a topic that remains pertinent in current international economic policy discussions.