Economics-“Surplus” magazine: “gap filler” with economic skills

A good portion of courage and optimism is part of bringing a printed magazine onto the market in view of media digitization and newspaper crisis. But that is exactly what the makers of “Surplus” did: On Friday evening, the first printed edition of the business medium was celebrated in the Neukölln Berlin home port, with a discussion event entitled “Paths from the Head of Management”.

The “Surplus” team had called for concentrated economic, economic policy and journalistic competence: its own management team. The round, none of a lesser moderated than the Youtuber Tilo Jung (who also studied business administration for a few semesters), expressly referred to Donald Trump’s re -reign in the United States and the federal elections a good week ago. There could have been no more current time for this debate, because editor -in -chief Lukas Scholle also stated. He and the three editors took apart both economic theory and politics and did not shy away from claims to the next federal government. Isabella Weber, business professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst: “We are confronted with the consequences of an extremely missed economic policy today.” Adam Tooze, British business historian and university teacher: “The inflation alone was not decisive for the election success of the AfD.” Maurice Höfgen, business journalist on various channels and, among other things, “ND” auto: “A possible GroKo must ensure that the east opens up to the west.” The demand for an anti -fascist economic policy rose through all speeches. What does that mean? “An economic policy that offers a solution to the real socio -economic descent and the relegation fear of many people that makes their lives better,” Weber explains and floated to the reader. “It is about addressing the fears directly and offering a concrete, democratic alternative to status quo.”

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Such views, also presented in the home port, were acknowledged by the predominantly young and obviously student audience with a partly thundering applause. In any case, “Surplus” has this target group in mind. “Our target group extends over everyone who is looking for new thoughts on economic issues that they cannot find in other business magazines,” says Scholle to “ND”. “Because there is usually only a question of whether holidays are deleted, the VAT increases or the pension subsidies are to be reduced. We focus on the interests of the vast majority. “

The print edition, which is moody on Friday-the modern layouted magazine is to appear every two months-only the smaller »couch version« of the digital »surplus«. The web version started in January and started with rows of top-class columnists such as Thomas Piketty and Mariana Mazzucato and authors such as Naika Foroutan and Dierk Hirschel. »› Surplus ‹is the business magazine, which revolves around the interests of the vast majority and not the richest. For this we bring the world’s leading economic thinkers together, ”says the Mission Statement of» Surplus «. »The editors gradually came. They were immediately enthusiastic about ›Surplus‹. Because the gap in the economy public spectrum was just as obvious as the political need to close it, «reports editor -in -chief Scholle about the founding process.

From politics to climate and finance to science, “Surplus” covers central social areas. Approaches and of course conclusions from the analyzes stand out clearly from “classic” economic media in “Surplus”, in which social relationships are often hidden. “We don’t just understand the economy as a topic for stock exchange gurus, billionaire sons and start-up heris,” advertises the “Surplus” team.

The economic problems of the industry, especially the printed media, of course also do not pass “surplus”. “We are dependent on our paying subscribers,” says Scholle. »The economic journalistic gap was so great that we could already reach our lowest annual destination.

And where does the start -up capital come from? “We founded” Surplus “with a few ten thousand euros, the opposite side has millions or even billions in the back,” says Lukas Scholl. »In order to enrich the business debate sustainably, we are therefore dependent on further support. Means a surplus – the term comes from the economy and means something like excess or profit – ironically is also indispensable for the creators of an alternative business magazine.