Crisis? What Crisis? Restructuring the German Welfare System in Times of Unexpected Prosperity

Blum, Sonja; Kuhlmann, Johanna

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-07680-5_7

Cited by 27 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In the sequel, there were no decision windows for fundamental reforms of the health care system to be explained by the MSF. Instead, the German Medical Care Structure Act (GKV-VStG) in 2011 was a result of a long-term process within the subsystem (Bandelow and Hartmann 2014;Blum and Kuhlmann 2016).…”

Section: Health Care Systems and Reforms In Austria Belgium France mentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning as a Necessary but Not Sufficient Condition for Major Health Policy Change: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis Combining ACF and MSF

Bandelow

Vogeler

Hornung

et al. 2017

Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice

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Following the financial crisis, Bismarckian health systems underwent some major reforms. This article analyzes under which conditions major reforms occurred. To do so, it theoretically combines conditions from the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) and the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to emphasize the added value of merging them to explain major policy change. By combining these two approaches, it is possible to present a more comprehensive picture of the reform processes, relying on the significance of both policy learning within actor coalitions (as particularly important in the ACF) and the role of ambiguity and timing (as particularly important in the MSF). Empirically, the article focuses on the health care reform packages from 2009 to 2013 in the four traditional European Bismarckian countries, Austria, Belgium, France and Germany. The analysis reveals learning as a necessary condition for major policy change. Consequently, a major reform only happens as a result of learning processes, either combined with a negotiated agreement, which presents a pure ACFrelated configuration, or combined with a window of opportunity opening in the problem stream. The latter configuration thus confirms the need for integrating a condition from the MSF into the ACF to explain major policy change.

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Section: Health Care Systems and Reforms In Austria Belgium France mentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning as a Necessary but Not Sufficient Condition for Major Health Policy Change: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis Combining ACF and MSF

Bandelow

Vogeler

Hornung

et al. 2017

Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice

Self Cite

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“…8 (German Bundestag, 2000) Around 2008, a turning point can be identified for German pension policy and the argumentative settings. Despite the unexpected (but rather momentary) prosperity (Blum & Kuhlmann, 2016) of the German economy and also the pension insurance, a beginning debate on old-age poverty followed hard (Hegelich et al, 2011;Schmidt, 2014). Not least, theespecially futureproblem of old-age poverty was ascribed to the early 2000s pension reforms, as those had reduced public pension levels and made the private provision quasi-compulsory, but not affordable for all.…”

Section: The Argumentative Construction Of Reform Narratives In Germamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To understand the background of the pension-reform package 2014, not only the fundamental pension policy transformations of the early 2000s need to be taken into account, but also the paradigmatic family policy changes from a few years later, particularly with the introduction of an income-dependent parental benefit and the right to a childcare place from the age of 1 year (Blum & Kuhlmann, 2016). These reforms were pushed through by family minister von der Leyen (CDU) partly in resistance to her own party, and particularly conservative CSU.…”

Section: The Pension-reform Package 2014: a Political Story Of Givingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reform narratives and argumentative coupling in German pension policy: constructing the ‘deserving retiree’

Blum

2019

Policy and Society

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German pension policy experienced a shift in the early 2000s, when public pensions were cut back, the retirement age raised, and private, publicly subsidized pension provision stipulated. Within a coherent reform narrative, those reforms were grounded on arguments of a 'demographic time bomb', a no-longer-affordable public pension scheme, and the return potential of private pension funds. Yet this narrative was delegitimized quickly with zero-rate-policy, and increasing old-age poverty in a lean public pension scheme. In such a situation, it can be expected difficult to either adapt the old narrative or construct new ones. This makes an interesting case for this article to study reform narratives and argumentative coupling in recent German pension policy through two contrasting cases: A failed attempt at establishing a minimum-pension scheme; and a 'successful' reform package combining a 'mothers' pension' and exceptions for a full pension at age 63. Findings illuminate how the contrasting success of those reform proposals can be understood in terms of narrative stories: The reform whichpolitical-strategicallycould build on the 'deservingness' of the target groups could be agreed upon comparatively easily. Possible beneficiaries of a minimum pension are of varying 'deservingness', though, and narrating a more 'problem-solving' story has proven difficult.

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“…In 2013/14, further reforms revised some key measures introduced in the 1990s. In particular, the government decided for an early retirement option for people with long working lives (“ Rente mit 63 ” which, in the future, will provide a full pension at the age of 65 rather than 67) (Blum and Kuhlmann ).…”

Section: Pension Policy In Ageing Societies: Overview Of Ten Years Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recasting Pensions in Europe: Policy Challenges and Political Strategies to Pass Reforms

Natali¹

2018

Swiss Political Sci Review

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Crisis? What Crisis? Restructuring the German Welfare System in Times of Unexpected Prosperity

Cited by 27 publications

References 27 publications

Learning as a Necessary but Not Sufficient Condition for Major Health Policy Change: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis Combining ACF and MSF

Learning as a Necessary but Not Sufficient Condition for Major Health Policy Change: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis Combining ACF and MSF

Reform narratives and argumentative coupling in German pension policy: constructing the ‘deserving retiree’

Recasting Pensions in Europe: Policy Challenges and Political Strategies to Pass Reforms

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