61 TWO Germany Marina A. Adler, Karl Lenz and Yve Stöbel-Richter The cultural and policy context of fatherhood Contemporary perceptions of German fatherhood and fathering are rooted in the unique history of the division and reunification of two independent states, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, now the Western states) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR, now the Eastern states). German unification in 1990 combined the West German ‘ideal-typical’ conservative welfare state and strong male-breadwinner system with the East German socialist full
This comprehensive study, part of the International Library of Policy Analysis, brings together for the first time a systemic overview of policy analysis activities in Germany. Written by leading experts in the field – including informed practitioners – it outlines the development of the discipline, identifies its role in academic education and research, and examines its styles and methods. The book also focuses on the role of policy analysis for governments and parliaments, for parties, social partners, and interest groups. By offering a rich and timely analysis of policy analysis in Germany, this book is a valuable resource for academic exchange and for teaching, particularly in the fields of political science, social sciences, economics and geography. Moreover, by its broad, comprehensive understanding of ‘policy analysis’, the book will be of practical relevance and shape the debate for the future development of policy analysis in Germany and the different spheres where it is practised.
119 eIGHT Germany: taking a nordic turn? Daniel Erler Maternity leave1: 14 weeks at 100% of earnings with no ceiling; 8 weeks obligatory. Paternity leave: none. Parental leave: until 3 years after childbirth; family entitlement. Twelve months paid at 67% of average earnings during the 12 months preceding childbirth; if the father takes at least 2 months of leave, the overall length of benefit payment is extended to 14 months. No means test applies, but there is a ceiling of €1,800 per month. Instead of 12 (+ 2) months, the childrearing benefit may be spread
49 2 Social exclusion and food assistance in Germany Fabian Kessl, Stephan Lorenz and Holger Schoneville Introduction While countries with widespread existential poverty need to fight hunger (for example, Rocha, 2014), this issue no longer seemed to be a problem for the German welfare state. As in other welfare regimes in the 20th century, issues of survival have ceased to determine the social policy agenda, being replaced by questions of social and cultural participation. Having enough to eat has been regarded as a self-evident precondition of social
77 FIVE Social work academia and policy in Germany Andreas Herz and Stefan Köngeter In Germany, social welfare legislation and social work as a profession emerged at the end of the 19th century. Although considered a latecomer in the process of industrialisation, Germany was one of the first countries to introduce basic social security programmes, such as work accident insurance and unemployment insurance. Encompassing welfare legislation for children and youth was introduced in the 1920s. It was in this context that social work as a profession emerged in
177 NINE Germany: constructing the ‘win-win’ society Stephan Lessenich Concepts have a life, and like most lives, they are not linear. (Petersen and Petersen 2013: 48) Ending class conflict (as we know it): a brief history of conceptual regimes Concepts have a nonlinear life: What holds for social policy language in general and for the politico-academic concept of the welfare state in particular should be true for the history of ‘welfare semantics’ (Lessenich, 2003a) in Germany. With Germany having passed through extremely different political regimes
103 SEVEN Germany: little hope in times of crisis Uwe Jun Introduction For many years, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has performed poorly at the German parliamentary (Bundestag) elections (see Table 7.1), and crucially, has been unable to puncture the dominance of the CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union). From the period when Sigmar Gabriel became party leader in October 2009 until 2017, the SPD has rarely achieved more than 30 per cent at the polls. At the 2013 elections the SPD obtained only 25 per cent of the vote, and there
75 SiX Policy analysis in the German-speaking countries: common traditions, different cultures, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland nils C. Bandelow, Fritz Sager and Peter Biegelbauer Introduction Policy research has developed several perspectives, with scholars influenced by international developments in the discipline as well as their own respective political environment. To cover the global view, it is common practice to trace back recent research to the founding fathers of the discipline, with their competing ontological, epistemological, normative
157 EIGHT This is (not) Detroit: projecting the future of Germany’s Ruhr region Julia Sattler As was discussed in Chapter One of this book, Detroit has become a metonym for urban failure, and many places around the world use “Detroit” as a warning to further a particular message or agenda. The city is talked about, but rarely actively engaged with. In this chapter, Julia Sattler examines the ways in which Detroit is used and interpreted in Germany’s Ruhr Region. She starts by deconstructing the popular idea presented in the German media that a Detroit
TWo Germany: moving towards Europe but putting national autonomy first Milena Büchs and Karl Hinrichs An analysis of the German government’s response to european Union (eU) social policy initiatives may be a more difficult task than for several other Member States for three interrelated reasons. First, Germany is a federal state. It gives the single states (Länder), as well as the municipalities, certain jurisdictions in the area of social policy, and the Länder have constantly opposed eU interference in their competencies. Moreover, the Länder have
