Activation Policies in Germany: From Status Protection to Basic Income Support

Werner Eichhorst, Maria Grienberger-Zingerle () and Regina Konle-Seidl ()
Additional contact information
Maria Grienberger-Zingerle: MPI, Munich
Regina Konle-Seidl: Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg

No 2514, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the sequential shift towards activating labor market and social policy in Germany. It not only shows the changes in the instruments of active and passives labor market policies but also analyzes the implications of this change for the political economy, the governance and the legal structure of a “Bismarckian” welfare state. Our study points at the changes in Germany’s status- and occupation-oriented unemployment benefit regime that has been relinquished for a larger share of dependent population. Unemployment insurance benefit duration is shorter now and newly created basic income support for needy persons is not earnings-related anymore. Pressure on unemployed to take up jobs has increased considerably while more persons than before have access to employment assistance. The paper also aims at a preliminary assessment of the effects of activating labor market policy on labor market as well as social outcomes and sets out probable paths of future adaptation.

Keywords: unemployment insurance; Germany; unemployment assistance; activation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J68 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 66 pages
Date: 2006-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec and nep-ias
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (28)

Published - published in: Werner Eichhorst, Otto Kaufmann and Regina Konle-Seidl (eds.), Bringing the Jobless into Work? Berlin: Springer 2008; revised version published in: German Policy Studies, 2010, 6 (1), 59-100

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Related works:
Chapter: Activation Policies in Germany: From Status Protection to Basic Income Support (2008)
Working Paper: Activation policies in Germany: from status protection to basic income support (2007)
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