Developing child-care provision in England and Germany: problems of governance

Abstract

Both the UK and German governments have sought to expand child-care provision. There is some evidence of convergence between the two countries in respect of changes in governance as well, but we suggest that the differences remain more striking. The paper draws on national-level data and local case-studies in both countries. We comment on the nature of the expansion of child care and, briefly, on the degree of commitment to it, before exploring the operation of the mixed economy of child care in each country and the relationship between local and central government. We seek the explanation for the differences we observe in the articulation between these two key modes of governance.

The effect of education on fertility: Evidence from a compulsory schooling reform

“…As for Germany, the related literature on mothers' labor market outcomes indicates that the opportunity costs of child rearing are particularly high because the institutional framework considerable excess demand for subsidized childcare is related both to the highly regulated market for childcare (Evers et al 2005) and to the high cost of private childcare alternatives (Wrohlich 2008). Furthermore, skepticism about the quality of public childcare (Blau & Hagy 1998, Spieß & Tietze 2002 and social attitudes against the employment of mothers (Hank et al 2004, Lee et al 2007) may increase the costs of childrearing in Germany.…”

Differences in the Patterns of in-work Poverty in Germany and the UK

“…Additionally, public expenditure on childcare and also formal care enrolment is significantly greater in the UK than in Germany (OECD 2012), indicating that family and work is more reconcilable in the UK. However, recent comparative studies suggest that childcare provision in the UK is less stable, less reliable and stronger based on user fees than in Germany (Evers et al 2005, Zagel 2013). Therefore, we handle the aspect of childcare provision with caution when developing hypotheses.…”

The positive impact of women’s employment on divorce: Context, selection, or anticipation?

“…Women were primarily expected to provide care, i.e., to stay at home with very young children and work only part-time when children were at school (Treas and Widmer 2000). Since the 1990s, however, Germany has been gradually expanding its public childcare services and in 2007 reformed its parental leave system, offering clear incentives for men to spend more time with children (Evers, Lewis, and Riedel 2005;Rosenfeld, Trappe, and Gornick 2004). The reform resulted in an increase in men's participation in childcare (Geisler and Kreyenfeld 2012) and coincided with an increase in the social acceptance of working women (Unterhofer and Wrohlich 2017).…”