Soziale Sicherheit als Standortproblem

Abstract

In the current Gennan debate about economic and social policies, the two main problems, persistent mass unemployment and a rising public debt, are attributed to the failure of the German economy to adapt to a changing global constellation. Rigidities, over-regulation and excessive expectations supported by social security income maintenance systems are held to be responsible for the loss of world market shares. These arguments attribute problems to the Gerrnan welfare state which mainly result from the burdens of unification and the economic and political transforrnation of East Ge1many. The effect of this misdirected discourse is to discredit traditional Gennan welfare state institutions while accomplishing a distributional shift in favour ofprofit and rents, with possible repercussions in terrns ofincreased contlicts.