Financing labour market policy in the area of conflicting priorities between the principle of private commercial insurance and the principle of the social state

Abstract

"In Germany, many benefits in labour market policy are financed from contributions that depend on income from work. In the case of some benefits, this is reasonable; others are less easily attributed. For instance, the Federal Employment Agency also pays benefits that could be classified as extraneous insurance benefits or as for society as a whole. A classification of benefits is developed in this article. It mirrors the image of a labour market policy which focusses on income security, prevention and the promotion of employment and occupational education. In 2008, it yielded total social benefits in the magnitude of roughly 8.5 billion euros. If these had been financed by other means, a lowering of the contribution rate of roughly 1 per cent would have been possible and the effect on the labour market would have been a positive one." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Bach, H. & Spitznagel, E. (2011): Die Finanzierung der Arbeitsmarktpolitik im Spannungsfeld von privatwirtschaftlichem Versicherungsprinzip und sozialstaatlichem Sicherungsprinzip. In: Zeitschrift für Sozialreform, Vol. 57, No. 1, p. 53-82. DOI:10.1515/zsr-2011-0104