Sanctions, social participation and self-determination in the basic benefits

Abstract

"The present IAB statement addresses the request of the German left-wing parliamentary group the Left Party (Bundestag printed matter 19/103) regarding both the abolition of the existing sanction regulations in Book Two of the German Social Code (SGB II) and in Book Twelve of the German Social Code (SGB XII), as well as the request of the parliamentary group Alliance '90/The Greens (Bundestag printed matter 19/1711). The Alliance '90/The Greens group also wants to abolish the sanction rules of the SGB II, and calls for significantly more support and better framework conditions for the long-term unemployed who qualify for means-tested unemployment benefit. As part of this, taxes, social security contributions and social services need to be coordinated such that (additional) gainful employment palpably leads to higher income. The Jobcenters shall receive sufficient funding to finance their needs for personnel and means of integration (into work or training) as well as administrative services. The case management in the Jobcenters shall be enhanced. Finally, a 'social labour market' shall be introduced that features individually supported, fair-pay employment subject to social insurance for means-tested benefit recipients aged over 25 years, who have been unemployed for more than 24 months and have no foreseeable prospects on the labour market. First, the statement of the IAB addresses potential effects of the sanctions, names the core results of empirical studies on sanctions as per SGB II, and presents key conclusions based on these results. Subsequently, it discusses and assesses findings of empirical studies that are related to the proposals of the Alliance '90/The Greens parliamentary group which aim at strengthening the position of beneficiaries under the Social Code II." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Bruckmeier, K., Kruppe, T., Kupka, P., Mühlhan, J., Osiander, C. & Wolff, J. (2018): Sanktionen, soziale Teilhabe und Selbstbestimmung in der Grundsicherung. Öffentliche Anhörung von Sachverständigen vor dem Ausschuss für Arbeit und Soziales des Deutschen Bundestages am 4. Juni 2018. (IAB-Stellungnahme 05/2018), Nürnberg, 25 p.