Did you know that 13.5 percent of people in the total population in Germany lives below the poverty line? Most of people don’t know that! Poverty in Germany is a largely unknown issue. But it exists! Even more concerning: 16.5 % of all German households are threatened by poverty as well. What can politicians do to help those people? Are there any political options at all? In this assignment we first would like to inform about poverty in general and in Germany in particular. Second, we show that policy options exist and third how these measures take hold in practise.

Text Sample: Chapter 9.1.3, Tax Policy: Tax policy is the whole of tax actions of a state with policy objectives. Through tax policy the state pursuits the aim to generate income to cover all expenditures. The state is able to pursuit socio-political aims through tax reduction or tax increase. An effective instrument to even the income differences is in particular a progressive in-come tax rate. Within the tax reform of 2000 the Federal Government decreased the in-come tax rate radically. According to the judgement of the Federal Constitutional Court that the minimum living wage must be tax free, the German government increased the tax free level virtually every year. This goes along with a decrease of the marginal tax rate from 25.9% in 1998 to 15.0% in 2005. 9.1.4, Asset Accumulation: Having savings in the bank is a good way to avoid poverty. In times of unemployment citizens are able to draw money from the bank and cover the financial gaps without being dependent on public benefits. The Federal government offers mainly two types of investment: Savings. Acquisition of shares. These are both appropriate to accumulate assets on a long range. 9.1.5, Prevent Excessive Indebtedness: Debts are always a fast way to cross the poverty line! Therefore is very important to prevent indebtedness before it begins. In 2002 approx. 9% of all households in Germany were over-indebted. Debtors are often not able to solve the problem on their own. For that reason they need help. The government financed debt counselling and measures for debt relief. This came along with a programme to educate indebted people. 9.1.6, Education: The significance of education to prevent poverty is indisputable. School education and vocational qualification are the best way to participate on the job market as well as the best protection against unemployment and poverty. The European Union regards a graduation from secondary school as minimum qualification to participate in modern knowledge society and for the best prospects on the job market. In January 2008 the Federal Cabinet approved the draft law for the qualification initiative (i. e. Qualifizierungsinitiative). It mainly contains actions to: Improve education opportunities for children younger than six years of age. Improve the permeability in the education system. Improve the way to be promoted. Improve the options of further education. 9.1.7, Basic Education: Education does not start in school. Potentials of children should in fact be developed earlier and dependent on their age. Kindergartens, beside the family, have as places for infantile education a particular duty. In kindergartens talents – even from children of underprivileged families – may foster at an early stage and learning difficulties may be discovered early. Primary schools cover the first four years of schooling (in Berlin and Brandenburg six years). They are attended by all children and provide basic education, preparing children for secondary schools. At the end of primary school parents and teachers have to decide which type school the pupils should attend further on. Available are: Secondary general schools (i. e. Hauptschulen). Intermediate schools (i. e. Realschulen). Grammar schools (i. e. Gymnasien). Comprehensive schools (i. e. Gesamtschulen). Special schools (i. e. Förderschulen). This affects the life and future job options of the child profoundly. Therefore promotion of primary school pupils is essential. One out of eleven pupils in a grammar school lives in poverty, but every second in a secondary general school. Poverty is one causal reason for bad education. Out of 100 children who were considered to be poor during kindergarten only four manage to archive the entry qualification for grammar school – compared to 30 in well-off families. These are the results of a long term study by the Workers Welfare Federal Association from 1997 to 2005. 9.1.8, Vocational Education: A Certificate of Education (minimum: Certificate of Secondary Education / Hauptschulabschluss) is necessary to get a proper chance on the apprenticeship market. The Federal Government takes actions to educate juveniles in the dual system of vocational education to decrease the number of untrained youngsters. Because a qualified apprenticeship is crucial for partaking and fulfilment in the community and the best protection against the risk of unemployment and income poverty. 9.1.9, Lifelong Learning: Learning will not end after school, vocational training or university degree. Learning is an essential mean to shape an individual's chances in life. Lifelong learning is the keyword for coping with the job market, to finally get a school's or a vocational qualification or just for further training. Once archived qualifications are less and less sufficient to cope with the challenge of business and community. Continuing learning all lifelong is becoming more and more important to secure the participating on the job market permanently. The partaking in further education is low in Germany - compared to other countries. In particular, people with lower qualification do not take part in further qualification sufficiently. 9.2, Actions to Help People Out of Poverty: 13.5 % citizens of the total population live below the poverty line. These need help to become better off and – even more important – stay below the line. 9.2.1, Education: As stated in chapter 9.1.6 proper education is the best way to prevent poverty, but it’s also a lasting way to get out of it. People with no or only basic education have a strictly limited access to well paid jobs or no access jobs at all. In 2006 7.9 % of all pupils left school without any graduation. However, without any graduation the prospects of an apprenticeship are very small. Thereby the vicious circle of poverty starts turning. The government provides different measures to help juveniles and adults to improve their education: Help to get the Certificate of Secondary Education (i. e. Hauptschulabschluss). Help to get an apprenticeship. Help to make the change from Secondary Education to higher education entrance qualification easier. Olaf Scholz (Secretary of State for Employment) even recommended a legal claim to achieve a Certificate of Secondary Education. This should be financed by the Federal Employment Office. But he wasn’t able to convince the CDU-parliamentary group.

• Armut

• Deutschland

• Arbeitslosigkeit

• Ausbildung

• Mindestlohn

• Poverty

• Germany

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Uwe Bußmann MBA, geboren 1973 in Rheinhausen. Nach einer über zehnjährigen praktischen Tätigkeit im Kfz-Bereich mit Ausbildung zum KFZ-Meister absolvierte der Autor ein Maschinenbaustudium, welches er noch vor Ende der Regelstudienzeit erfolgreich abschloss. Sein Auslandspraktikum als Ingenieur fand bei einer Stahlbaufirma in Irland statt. Berufsbegleitend zu seiner Ingenieurtätigkeit studierte er Betriebswirtschaft. In seiner Freizeit engagiert er sich seit Jahrzehnten im sozialen Bereich. Dipl. Ing. (FH) Robert Marc Panz MBA, geboren 1968 in Duisburg. Nach erfolgreichem Abschluss seiner schulischen Laufbahn mit dem Abitur 1987 studierte der Autor Elektrotechnik / Nachrichtentechnik in Duisburg und anschließend in Düsseldorf. Mit einer sehr guten Diplomarbeit im Bereich Netzwerktechnik schloss er sein Studium in Düsseldorf ab. Die Fähigkeit vernetzte Zusammenhänge zu analysieren und zu beschreiben war für die Ausarbeitung des vorliegenden Werkes sehr von Vorteil. Der Autor ist seit 2000 als Netzwerk-Ingenieur in Düsseldorf tätig. Berufsbegleitend zu seiner Ingenieurstätigkeit hat er sich in einem internationalen betriebswirtschaftlichen Studium weitergebildet, das er in 2011 sehr erfolgreich abschloss. Mag. (FH) Silvia Schweighofer MBA, geboren 1979 in Graz (Österreich), Mädchenname: Großschädl. Nach vierjähriger Berufserfahrung im Finanzbereich, absolvierte die Autorin ein berufsbegleitendes, betriebswirtschaftliches Studium in Mindeststudienzeit und schloss dieses anhand einer Diplomarbeit zum Thema Due Diligence erfolgreich mit dem Titel Magistra (FH) ab. Nach mehr als 8-jähriger Berufserfahrung im Finanzbereich, wechselte die Autorin als Leiterin Finanzen und Personal zu einem mittelständischen Automobilzulieferer nach NRW. Berufsbegleitend zu ihrer kaufmännisch, leitenden Tätigkeit studierte die Autorin an der FOM Düsseldorf und absolvierte mit gutem Erfolg das Studium zum MBA. Ihre Freizeit verbringt sie in den Bergen, beim Klettern, Skitouren-gehen oder beim Wandern.