The Dual Transformation Of The German Welfare

This book breaks new intellectual ground in the analysis of the German welfare state. Peter Bleses and Martin Seeleib-Kaiser argue that we are witnessing a dual transformation of the welfare state, which is caused by the emergence of new dominating interpretative patterns. Increasingly, the state reduces its social policy commitments towards securing the achieved living standard of former wage earners, which in the past had been the key normative principle of social policy in Germany, while at the same time public support and services for families are expanded.

Peter Bleses is Research Fellow in the Law Department at the University of Oldenburg.

Martin Seeleib-Kaiser is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Policy Research, Bremen University.

List of Tables

vii

List of Figures

viii

Preface

ix

List of Abbreviations

xi

Introduction

1

(8)

Part I The Policy Dimension

1. Evaluating Policy Change: Some Theoretical and Methodological Remarks

9

(5)

2. Historical, Normative and Institutional Foundations of the German Welfare State in the Golden Post-World War II Era

14

(15)

2.1 Historical background

14

(3)

2.2 Norms and institutions

17

(10)

2.3 Summarising the social policy concept

27

(2)

3. Socio-economic Developments since the Mid-1970's

29

(11)

3.1 Economic discontinuities and the (preliminary) end of full employment

29

(4)

3.2 The standard employment relationship on the retreat

33

(3)

3.3 The end of the strong male breadwinner model?

36

(4)

4. The Changing Normative and Institutional Design of Social Policy

40

(57)

4.1 A quantitative perspective

41

(6)

4.2 A qualitative perspective

47

(42)

4.3 The dual transformation of the German welfare state

89

(8)

Part II The Political Dimension

5. Theories Explaining Welfare State Change

97

(17)

5.1 Political and institutional explanations

97

(7)

5.2 Socio-economic explanations

104

(5)

5.3 Evaluating the political, institutional and socio-economic explanations

109

(1)

5.4 A constructivist approach

110

(4)

6. Changing Interpretative Patterns

114

(31)

6.1 Globalisation limits social policy

116

(1)

6.2 Markets, personal responsibility and the welfare state

117

(2)

6.3 The labour market policy discourse

119

(8)

6.4 The pension system within the political discourse

127

(7)

6.5 Debates on family policy

134

(6)

6.6 New interpretative patterns guiding social policy reforms

140

(5)

Part III Conclusions

7. Can Germany still be Considered a Conservative Welfare State?

145

(10)

7.1 Reforming the welfare state - summary of the main policy changes

146

(4)

7.2 Explaining welfare state change

150

(1)

7.3 The German welfare state from a comparative perspective

151

(4)

Notes

155

(13)

Bibliography

168

(19)

Index

187

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Dual Transformation Of The German Welfare State

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials