What Does the Welfare State Commission Report Say?

After less than four months, the Commission on Welfare State Reform has submitted its final report to the German Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Bärbel Bas. The report is divided into four main topics: reorganisation of social benefits, improvement of employment incentives, simplification of laws, and digitisation and modernisation of administration.

Prof. Dr Holger Stichnoth, head of the ZEW research group "Inequality and Distribution Policy", discusses this in the ZEW podcast Wirklich Wirtschaft ("Economics Actually") with host Fabian Oppel. Stichnoth classifies the report as a courageous decision with many sensible proposals for modernising a welfare state that is efficient but has become very complex over the years. The report is not a finished blueprint, but it provides a strong impetus for simplification and modernisation. Social policy is being thought of more holistically and digitalisation is understood as a structural principle. The podcast is available on all popular podcast platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Deezer, as well as on the ZEW website.