Synopses & Reviews
The book is part of the 5-volume series "German Social Policy", a unique multidisciplinary approach to the history of German social policy written by the doyens of their respective disciplines. The volumes expound the contribution of the German tradition to the rise of social policy in the Western world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Germany pioneered modern social policy in the 19th century when Bismarck introduced social insurance. After the Second World War, Germany's Social Market Economy became a model of social integration. The volumes cover the history of ideas (volume 1), the legal and political history before and after 1945 (volumes 2 and 3), the German Democratic Republic (1949-1990) and the impact of German reunification (1990) (volume 4). Volume 5 embeds the German case in a major comparative study of European welfare states, complemented by a study of the USA and the Soviet Union. The volumes also yield insights into general theoretical issues of social policy beyond the empirical case of Germany. Each volume has an introduction by the editor who summarizes the contribution made by the volumes and looks into the future of German social policy. The book traces the political history of the concept of social policy. „Social policy" originated in Germany in the mid 19th century as a scholarly term that made a career in politics. The term became more prominent only after World War II. Kaufmann, the doyen of the sociology of social policy in Germany, argues that „social policy" responds to the modern disjunction between "state" and "society" diagnosed by the German philosopher Hegel. Hegel's disciple Lorenz von Stein saw social policy as a means to pacify the capitalist class conflict. After World War II, social policy expanded in an unprecedented way, changing its character in the process. Social policy turned from class politics into a policy for the whole population, with new concepts - like "social security", "redistribution" and "quality of life" - and new overarching
Synopsis
The present work is the authoritative study of German social policy, set in a multidisciplinary and international context. Germany pioneered modern social policy in the 19th century when Bismarck introduced social insurance. After the Second World War, Germany"s Social Market Economy became a model of social integration. Five contributions of book length investigate the history and the current state of social policy in Germany, covering ideas and institutions, legal history, constitutional law, the German Democratic Republic and the impact of German reunification in 1990. A further contribution embeds the German case in a major comparative study of European welfare states, identifying idiosyncratic national traditions. The publication brings out the contribution of the German tradition to the rise of social policy in the Western world in the 19th and 20th centuries. The authors are the doyens of their respective disciplines.
Synopsis
This volume provides an authoritative study of German social policy, set in a multidisciplinary and international context. The text presents the German tradition's contribution to the rise of social policy in the Western world in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Synopsis
The book traces the political history of the concept of social policy. „Social policy" originated in Germany in the mid 19th century as a scholarly term that made a career in politics. The term became more prominent only after World War II. Kaufmann, the doyen of the sociology of social policy in Germany, argues that „social policy" responds to the modern disjunction between "state" and "society" diagnosed by the German philosopher Hegel. Hegel's disciple Lorenz von Stein saw social policy as a means to pacify the capitalist class conflict. After World War II, social policy expanded in an unprecedented way, changing its character in the process. Social policy turned from class politics into a policy for the whole population, with new concepts - like "social security", "redistribution" and "quality of life" - and new overarching
About the Author
Franz-Xaver Kaufmann is Professor emeritus for Social Policy and Sociology at the University of Bielefeld, Germany. He studied law, economics and sociology in Zurich, St. Gall and Paris. He is the doyen of the sociology of social policy in Germany and has been awarded honorary doctorates and prizes, including the Preller Prize for Social Policy and the Schader Prize for Applied Social Science. Lutz Leisering, the Editor,
Table of Contents
Introductionto the English Edition (Lutz Leisering).-
Thinking about Social Policy '" The German Tradition(Franz-Xaver Kaufmann).-
Historical and Legal Foundations '" Social Policy in Germany before 1945(Michael Stolleis).-
The Constitution of the Social - Social Policy in the Federal Republic of Germany(Hans F. Zacher).-
A Socialist Workfare State - Social Policy in the German Democratic Republic(Manfred G. Schmidt).-
German Unification and Social Policy(Gerhard A. Ritter).-
The German Social State in Comparative Perspective(Franz-Xaver Kaufmann)