Taken together, the economies of the Nazi-occupied countries were roughly twice the size of the German economy, but Berlin obtained less than 30% of its war expenditures from them. This column, part of a Vox debate on the economics of WWII, argues that in that sense exploitation failed, but the way Germany tried to exploit its empire had important consequences. In Western Europe, where productivity was higher and Berlin took a substantial share of production, mortality was limited and postwar recovery was rapid. In Poland and the USSR, where productivity was lower, continuous warfare and Nazi racism spread destruction and raised mortality, impeding recovery.

To protect public sector jobs from becoming instruments of political patronage, employment decisions must be governed by impartial, meritocratic hiring practices. But in many civil service systems, politicians retain broad discretion in personnel decisions. This column looks at hiring practices in Brazil, and finds that not only are public sector careers handed out to the most devoted campaign supporters rather than the most competent applicants, but that political connections aid the least capable applicants most.