Sozialpolitik für die Soziale Arbeit

This second, updated and expanded edition of the book provides an introductory overview of social policy and the system of social security in Germany, focusing in particular on social work as an aspect of social policy. Basic social mechanisms of redistribution and social security are explained, theories of the welfare state are presented, and the history of German social policy is traced in its main features. The volume focuses on a detailed description of the structure of the German welfare state. The various pillars of the welfare state (social insurance, social compensation, social assistance, social promotion) are discussed, as are the various levels of social policy institutions (federal, state, local, associations). Another focus is on recent socio-political developments (transformation of welfare production) in their respective significance for social work as a discipline and profession.