The Changing Normative and Institutional Design of Social Policy

Abstract

History does not always favour established ideas and concepts of society. Only a few years after Germany had completed its social policy architecture, its foundation was challenged by the ‘adverse’ socioeconomic developments which we outlined in Chapter 3. Eventually, Germany began a process of social policy restructuring which precipitated a fundamental change of its social policy model and led to a dual transformation. The two policy streams which characterise this transformation are a gradual withdrawal from the once-dominant principle of guaranteeing the former living standard of the male breadwinner and an increased support for families through the introduction of new policies and expansion of existing social policy arrangements beyond the welfare—work nexus.