Policies for an Ageing Workforce Work-life balance, working conditions and equal opportunities 2019

At a time of rapid population ageing, a key means of sustaining current welfare states is to extend the length of working lives. In 2050, the share of people over the age of 75 years will be the same as the share over 65 years today. And just as not all are able to work to the age of 65 now, not everyone will be able to work to the age of 75 in 2050; even if future older workers will in all likelihood be healthier and have better working aids at their disposal. Extending average working lives by 10 years, and at the same time ensuring an adequate social safety net for those unable to work into their late 60s and 70s, is a major social policy challenge for the coming decades. And because people are much more likely to work late in life if they had stable careers before reaching 60, tackling this policy challenge means pulling on many more social policy levers than just pension policy. While being keenly aware of these issues and how they relate to the overall agenda of active ageing, Commissioner Thyssen also reminds us in her Foreword that marked increases in life expectancy – both past and in the future – represent enormous social progress. The Commissioner makes the point that older people too contribute to society. And more so with lifelong learning and investment in skills

Risiken für und durch Armut während der Corona-Pandemie

Risks For and Through Poverty During the COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the German economy severely. In this context, the extent to which the pandemic and its associated consequences lead to an increase in social inequality is being discussed. From a welfare state perspective, the aim is to establish social justice and social security, especially in times of crisis. Based on the existing literature, this article examines which risks arose for and through poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic and classifies the measures in the welfare state context of Germany. It is evident that the risk of poverty has increased in the course of the pandemic, especially for women. At the same time, however, the transfer system seems to produce poverty-proof measures and shows deviations from traditional patterns. The final effect of the COVID-19 pandemic risks to and from poverty also depends on how the price increases resulting from the crisis – and from the current war between Russia and the Ukraine – are dealt with

New Modes, New Challenges? The Influence of Extended Working Lives on the Late Employment Phase in Germany

Abstract In the past decade, old age security policies have aimed at providing incentives to prolong employment and change eligibility rules to reduce early retirement options; these are known as Active Ageing measures. Research reveals that extended working lives have altered exit patterns towards a prolongation of the late employment phase. This paper draws on conditions in the organisation of work in the late employment phase. Using fixed effects regression models with the SOEP v33 data, absolute changes in working hours at the individual level measure late career employment. The main results are in line with theoretical considerations and observe reduced hours worked on an individual level. Thus, the trend in reversing early exit patterns indicates a stronger organisation of late employment on the basis of flexible work. Moreover, while female labour participation is increasing, structural differences show a higher female attachment to features of labour flexibility. The conclusions presented concern the changing mode of the German conservative welfare state and reveal a higher degree of individualisation as a balancing mechanism in social policy. Zusammenfassung: Neue Modi, neue Herausforderungen? Der Einfluss verlängerter Lebensarbeitszeit auf die späte Erwerbsphase Älterer in Deutschland Alterssicherungspolitik der letzten Dekade fokussierte im Rahmen von Active Ageing Maßnahmen vor allem die Verlängerung von Erwerbsleben und die Verminderung der Anreize für Frühverrentungsoptionen. Forschung im Bereich der Alterssicherung zeigt, dass spätere Renteneintritte durch verlängerte Erwerbsarbeitszeit sichtbar sind. Der vorliegende Aufsatz reflektiert die strukturellen Bedingungen in der Organisation von Arbeit in der späten Erwerbsphase. Unter Anwendung von Regressionsmodellen mit fixen Effekten werden die SOEP v33 Daten genutzt, um absolute Veränderungen in Arbeitsstunden auf Individualebene zu messen. In Übereinstimmung mit den theoretischen Vorüberlegungen zeigt sich, dass sich Arbeitsstunden in der späten Erwerbsphase auf Individualebene reduziert haben. Die späte Erwerbsphase wird zunehmend über flexible Arbeitszeitmodelle organisiert. Darüber hinaus zeigen sich Unterschiede zwischen den Geschlechtern. Zwar steigt die Erwerbsquote älterer Frauen deutlich, jedoch ist die weibliche Arbeitsmarktbeteiligung in einem höheren Maß an flexible Arbeitsformen gebunden. Aus den Ergebnissen wird auf einen sich verändernden institutionellen Kontext des deutschen konservativen Wohlfahrtsstaats geschlossen, die auf ein höheres Maß an Individualisierung als sozialpolitischen Ausgleichsmechanismus hindeuten

Abgewickelte Gesundheitsinstitutionen als (Quasi-)Innovationen

Zusammenfassung Zum Abbau von Ineffizienzen im deutschen Gesundheitssystem wurden Institutionen wieder eingeführt, welche in ähnlicher Form bereits im Gesundheitssystem der DDR existiert haben. Drei Beispiele wurden ausgewählt: Die heutigen Medizinischen Versorgungszentren ähneln den Polikliniken der DDR, die Disease-Management-Programme sind mit der Dispensaire-Versorgung der DDR vergleichbar und die Bereiche Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung gab es in der DDR in Form der Gesundheitserziehung. Diese heutigen Institutionen werden dahingehend untersucht, inwiefern sie dazu beitragen, Ineffizienzen abzubauen und vor dem Hintergrund der Ökonomisierung im deutschen Gesundheitswesen zur Steigerung des Patientenwohls beitragen. Dabei wird betrachtet, wie sie hinsichtlich der Dimensionen Gewinnmaximierung, Wettbewerb, Preisbildung und Kundensouveränität wirken. Abstract: Liquidated Healthcare Institutions as (Quasi-)innovations To reduce inefficiencies in the German health care system, institutions have been reintroduced that have already existed in a similar form in the health care system of the GDR. Three examples have been selected: Today’s medical care centers (MVZ) are similar to the GDR’s so called „Polikliniken“, the disease management programs are comparable to the GDR’s dispensaire care, and the prevention and health promotion today were called health education („Gesundheitserziehung“) in the GDR. These institutions are being examined to what extent they serve to reduce inefficiencies and, regarding the economization in the German healthcare system, contribute to increasing patient well-being. In detail, this analysis uses the dimensions of profit maximization, competition, pricing and consumer sovereignty