[lbo-talk] European Welfare State

Angelus Novus fuerdenkommunismus at yahoo.com
Mon Sep 20 09:17:53 PDT 2010


Joanna wrote:


> Angelus could do all of us a big favor by writing about the situation of
> the welfare state in Europe.

I can really only talk about Germany, but since that seems to be the favorite example of North American Europhiles, it will probably do.

Previously, there were three types of unemployment assistance. Arbeitslosengeld, for the recently unemployed, calculated as a percentage of one's previous wage, and payed for a duration depending upon how long one had worked. Then, Arbeitslosenhilfe, for the long-term unemployed, also calculated as a percentage of one's former wage, but a lower percentage, and payed long-term after one had fallen off Arbeitslosengeld. Finally, Sozialhilfe, mainly limited to those who had never worked and offering a baseline of social security, and often association with socially stigmatized groups (the disabled, drug addicts, etc.).

Hartz IV is effectively an American "workfare" model. To obtain state assistance, one signs a so-called "Eingliederungsvereinbarung" ("Integration Agreement") in which one is obligated to fulfill certain tasks, such as writing so and so many job applications per month, etc., with "violations" of the agreement punished with up to 30% cut in services for the first "violation". Further "violations" can be punished with a cut of 100%. Your caseworker can slot you into senseless 1 Euro jobs picking trash in the park, etc.

As mentioned previously, and what the smug idiots on this list who think they know better than somebody who lives here continue to ignore, is that Hartz IV recipients are also robbed of elementary civil rights, such as the right to leave town without notifying a caseworker, or change apartments without obtaining permission from the Jobcenter beforehand.

Doug Henwood wrote:


> And it'd be nice if he showed some understanding of why Americans might
> find Europe, or a fantasy of Europe, appealing

What is this even supposed to suggest? I should continue to deny social reality so that pollyannas like Dennis Redmond can continue to nurture comforting illusions?



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