ABSTRACT
The chapter provides an overview and analysis of developments in German social policies in the years 1998–2008. This period can roughly be divided into two periods. During the first period (1998–2008), the German welfare system saw some transformative reforms, among them retrenchment, privatisation measures, but also qualitative changes. These far-reaching reforms took place especially in the fields of pension policies, unemployment protection and labour market policies, and family policies. Reforms in the fields of healthcare, long-term care, and social assistance – while being certainly important – do not match the reforms in the other fields. The second period (2009–2018) was signified by relative stability in social policymaking. Even the economic crisis of 2008/2009 left few traces. This stability may be due to the continuity of actors and the favourable economic environment, but also that the reforms of the earlier years made the need for further activities less pressing. In sum, it is the reforms of the red-green coalition government and the first years of the grand coalition that shape German social policies until today.
