174 billion euros for social peace - is it enough?

The social expenditure amounted in this year to nearly 174 billion euros - which is slightly more than half of all budget expenditures of 340 billion euros. Social Affairs Ministers healing has a budget of 140 billion euros. He defended his policies, but some experts criticize him in no uncertain terms. the Henrike Roßbach, Berlin

Actually, it was already clear, as the Essen Board announced at the end of February, only German. And, as the designated Minister of health, Jens Spahn (CDU) said at the beginning of March, with Hartz IV is something for every need and indignation won. The social policy, which was suddenly no longer deny, had made it back to the big stage. In the middle of the boom, and in spite of the competition of asylum-armed, heat-summer, Diesel and world Cup Disaster.

"It is good that social policy is again a dominant theme," says Verena Bentele, President of the social Association VdK. On the spot be it the social issues, and less on the world politics that were important to them. Not enough had happened. The qualification offensive of the Minister of social Affairs and Hubertus Heil (SPD), can you gain some things, as well as the planned social labour market for the long-term unemployed and improvements for future disability pensioners. Also, the fact that employers and employees have to Finance the health insurance to the same Parts, it is good. That was it but also already.

"do not benefit Still all of the good economic development"

"dramatically" means that nothing has been done for current disability pensioners. The tighter the rental price brake is not rich as a remedy for the housing shortage, the minimum wage must rise about twelve euros, and that in Germany children lived in poverty and poor educational opportunities, was not "acceptable". Bentele says: "We definitely need more redistribution. The social issues are the glue for social peace."

In the Euro this putty has been expressed by the Federal government this year, however, nearly 174 billion euros, five billion euros more than in the previous year and slightly more than half of all budget expenditures of 340 billion euros. No budget is as big as the 140-billion-Euro budget of the Minister of social Affairs of salvation, from the alone of around 94 billion euros have been paid to the pension scheme. The Minister defended his policy: "fortunately, Germany's economy is currently good," he says. "But still, not all benefit in the country of the good economic development." Opportunities for education and prosperity were still unevenly distributed. "Many people in Germany to experience their own Situation as well, looking forward to the future with concern." These fears of Relegation had to take it more seriously, says salvation means that the social security systems would have to be re-tightened.

Andreas Peichl, an Economist at the Ifo Institute looks skeptical in the Lace of the government. "From my point of view, not much Good is happening," he says. It had been distributed "a couple of retirement gifts", really future-oriented discussions, but he did not.

Similar to John bird sees it, labor and pension expert for the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag: "in terms of Social policy the coalition government has done that in 2018 a lot of things. Unfortunately, quite a lot of the Wrong." The pension package of the FDP-the Deputy considers to be a "fatal mistake". With a view to mothers pension and stop lines for the pension level and contribution rate, by 2025, bird takes issue with the government, to destabilize the pension and to charge the center of the society, especially the young Generation. "And all the help for a package, the 90 per cent of the expenditure is not directed at all target against poverty in old age."

healing the nature do not apply. From January 2019, each year more than 170 000 workers would benefit from higher disability pensions, he says, and mothers with prior to 1992, children born of the higher mothers ' pension, also the unemployment contribution will the new year by 0.5 percentage points reduced. He also refers to the higher education funds, many could use "in the first quarter of" appropriate Qualification programs. For "the people with medium and small incomes that keep our society Running" would be abolished in addition, the solos, the children raised money and child care improved. And for socially weak families, he and Minister of family Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) had made the Strong families act, "families with children will be significantly relieve".

Seniors in Bremen, Germany. Two of them are in need of a Walker.

image: Mohssen assani Moghaddam/dpa

water aerobics statics for the health.

photo: imago stock&people

Cautious approach. A child on the slide.

image: Sean Gallup/ loading ...

job center staff spend a lot of time with the examination of applications

Peichl, but finds that the issue of child poverty, too little happens; such as when children award. The don't get low-income earners, so that they fall because of their children in Hartz IV. Because this benefit is eliminated completely, as soon as the parents earn a little more, not worth paying for, you often have to work more. In the case of lone parents, the net income could be even lower if you worked more, says Peichl. What is planned salvation, and Giffey, the milder the effect, but "only marginally". More work can be rewarding in many cases. "We see that these are exactly the households that are affected by poverty." And later, the Problem continued, with low pension entitlements of single women prefer. There, of all places, criticizes Peichl, relatively easy for something to be done, be provided for only "a few hundred million euros".

And then there's the mother of all social policy debates: Hartz IV, the SPD Leader Andrea Nahles wants to overcome the "Hartz IV" to be, however, without Detail. Berlin's governing mayor Michael Müller (SPD) has taken his "solidarity-based basic income" from the drawer, the municipal jobs instead of basic security. And Greens leader Robert Habeck is proposing a Guarantee of protection without the need for forced labor. But so vividly the debate was this year - has happened so far: nothing.

"We are now in the process of the social state to develop," says the Minister responsible. Healing, has supported the Agenda 2010, has nothing against a certain locker. "I think, for example, sanctions do not work in practice, and people unnecessarily upset, abolished," he says. To add: "But at a fundamental obligation to co-operate I hold. If someone failed for the tenth Time the appointment at the Jobcenter, then it must have consequences."

it is Important to be social the labour market is to the Minister anyway. With the would, from the beginning of the year 2019 people from the long-pulled-term unemployment, says healing. Four billion euros are foreseen in the coming years for subsidized Jobs. Whether this will be sufficient for the Hartz-IV-critics in the salvation party, one may doubt, however.

VdK-President Bentele argues for transparent management structures in the job centers, and criticises the particularly sharp penalties for younger Hartz-IV-receiver. "We need to offer people more opportunities to come back to work. But for that it needs sufficient resources for the integration." Also Peichl from the Ifo Institute considers it an instance of maladministration that the job centre staff spend a large part of their time working with applications and the Review of claims. For particularly unfair, but he thinks, just like bird of the FDP, something else: the high degree of "transfer withdrawal rate". What is meant is that Hartz-IV recipients, the work in addition to basic security, may be retained beyond the 100 Euro is only ten to 20 percent of their Zuverdienstes. "It must be worth it to go from a mini-job in a subject to social insurance full-time job," says Peichl. Moreover, since the Economist is pretty sure, there would be hardly any sanctions, if more work would be worth it actually. Properly, it would be in his opinion also, the assets Concerned are allowed to keep depends on how many years someone has in the social insurance has been paid. "The Hartz reforms were right," says Peichl on the Agenda in 2010. "But that is now all the time." A debate was entitled.