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The Social Democrats want to leave Hartz IV behind for good.

Instead, there should be a “citizen's benefit” in future for the long-term unemployed and other low-income beneficiaries.

No more sanctions for a lack of willingness to cooperate, but generally more generous cash benefits for children from poorer families.

This is what it says in the draft of the SPD's election manifesto.

And because there are very similar considerations among the Left and the Greens, Hartz IV could actually soon be history.

That would be fatal.

Because the labor market reform that was implemented by the red-green government under Gerhard Schröder is a success story.

Improvements are needed

The German employment miracle before the corona crisis would be unthinkable without the decision to merge social assistance with unemployment assistance.

The same applies to the integration of the majority of the migrants who have since entered the country into the labor market.

The SPD and the Greens should be proud of the reform instead of being ashamed of it.

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The Hartz IV system introduced in 2005 needs some improvements.

Especially for single parents and low-skilled people with several children, it is often not worthwhile to take on more than one mini job, because their social transfers will then be reduced accordingly.

But there are clever reform proposals as to how this incentive problem can be solved so that one's own work always pays off for those affected.

This is the direction in which social policy should move if it actually has the perspectives of the people at the bottom in view.

However, parties in the election campaign prefer to vie with simple promises that can be printed on posters.

Under the heading of “basic child protection”, the SPD wants to structure all family support in such a way that the lower the household's income, the more you get.

This paralyzes the parents' initiative instead of encouraging it - to the detriment of the children.

A welfare state that only pacifies the weak with ever higher cash benefits does not offer any effective assistance, but ultimately also undermines the willingness of the financiers to perform.

The Social Democrats were already on.

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