Sozialstaatlichkeit in der Konzeption der Sozialen Marktwirtschaft / Social Aspects of the Concept of Soziale Marktwirtschaft: Eine ordnungspolitische Fundierung der Sozialstaatsreform / An Economic Approach to Sozialstaat Reform

This article tries to develop a comprehensive economic approach to the necessary reconstruction of the German Sozialstaat. Social aspects of a competitive order as such, social policies which conform to the general idea of a market economy, and policies aiming at equal opportunities for every individual are counted among the central features of the concept of Soziale Markwirtschaft. The theoretical arguments in favour of the Sozialstaat follow Walter Eucken who understood social policies as being not only a separate issue but also as a (hidden) ambition of all his principles according to which a competitive order should be both constituted and regulated. As to the discussion of Sozialstaat reform, it follows that social policies should be rearranged according to the “subsidiarity principle”, that they should leave more scope for private initiative and for competitive solutions, and that equal opportunities and a benefit approach should be given priority to pure equity considerations and to an inter-personal redistribution of wealth.