I am interested in Modern Germany, particularly its economic and political development. I offer classes in German history from the Reformation to the present, including one that focusses on the Nazi period. I also teach courses on European history since 1914 with emphasis on political diplomatic, economic and military developments. I have published books and articles on the German economy during World War II, the German National Railway, the creation of the social market economy in West Germany after World War II and the German pension system, the first program of its kind in the world. I am currently concentrating my research on the development of the German welfare state, especially its largest program, old age and disability pensions.