How much money it needs to live – or to Survive – in a welfare state? Just a few days ago the rule are increased benefits for recipients of unemployment benefit II (“Hartz IV”) to 8 euros per month: single person received from January to 424 Euro, needs of communities, the rule set is now up to 382 euros, in the case of adults under the age of 25 there are 382 EUR. The benefits it has given at least a lot of work, policy debate: The SPD, which had had co-decided 14 years ago, the Hartz IV reforms, would like to say goodbye to it again. Above all, the sanctions in the code of social law II (SGB II) how reductions of services to the Minister of labour, Hubertus Heil (SPD) are a thorn in the eye.

Marcus Young

editor in the economy.

F. A. Z.

this Tuesday is a healing before the Federal constitutional court the opportunity to comment on. The First Senate has charged more than 40 interested Parties to oral proceedings to Karlsruhe to discuss the sanctions. Can build up the state’s pressure to educate benefit recipients for participation, adherence to deadlines and openness for a sample of work? Or you are pushing them with reduced benefits below the threshold of what is considered subsistence level, and the rule requires a rate is specified? So anyway, the social court Gotha sees it: It shall submit to the constitutional court in the Hartz-IV-sanctions-for-test, because the standards violate the basic law’s guarantee of the right to human dignity with the minimum of existence.

the Hartz-IV-recipients are required to seek an active role in their reintegration into the labour market and thus to the end of their neediness. If you do not meet these requirements without the disclosure of important reasons for the Jobcenter services in several stages, staggered cut by 30 percent. Younger people under 25 years of age can be sanctioned by the costs for accommodation and heating are deleted.

However, should have become the circle of Affected by the sanctions over the years less because there is less of a Hartz-IV-households and more and more of the Bounce out of the base backup. According to the latest Figures of the employment Agency, the number of requirements fell communities, 2018, for the first time under 3 million euros. The to around a Million sanctions were imposed by the job centres in 2017; more recent Figures are not available. The statistic shows how often the same Person was punished, theoretically, up to four sanctions in the year are possible. From the counties for the implementation of the basic security charge, is to hear that the reductions apply to only “a fraction of the Hartz IV recipients” – their number is likely to be well below 200 000.