ABSTRACT
In the German welfare regime, the function of social protection in the case of unemployment has to be fulfilled above all by the first safety net of unemployment insurance and unemployment allowance. A common concern throughout Europe is how to prevent long-term dependency on social assistance and how to promote the activation of recipients, mainly through paid labour. In principle, the Federai Act on Social Assistance provides an unlimited legai right to social assistance for any person in need. In contrast to the rising number of recipients of social assistance, the proportion of the population defined as poor on the basis of a fifty per cent threshold has remained rather stable. Social assistance would be the only benefit available to the long-term unemployed. Compared with other benefit schemes, the provision of social assistance is characterized by a high degree of discretion, especially with regard to exceptional benefits and services.
