FRANZ HAMBURGER
Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and
unde p essu e
T ying o alk abou he dynamics o wel a e in 30 minu es is like he ligh o Ica us.
I you go oo high, you wo ds combus on he abs ac ness o he heo ies.1 I you ly
oo low, you sink in he wa e o he a ious o ms o wel a e. So I will y o s ay in
he middle. Pe haps Ica us also managed i o a leas 30 minu es.
“Wel a e” is no a ixed quan i y; i is he subjec o poli ical deba e, and decisions
abou i a e made in a discu si e p ocess. The pa icipan s do no , o cou se, ha e
equal chances o in luencing he decision. This p esen a ion o a discou se on wel a e
goes beyond unc ionalis heo ies and looks o he no ma i e bases o wel a e.
His o ical aspec s
Func ionalism can explain he in e en ion o he wel a e s a e in socie y as a necessi y
ha a ose om he indus ialisa ion and u banisa ion ha s a ed in he 19 h cen u y.
Social policy deals wi h he isks h ea ening he li elihood o wage-ea ne s such as
illness, old age, disabili y, amily ep oduc ion. The social insu ance sys ems in
Eu opean s a es ha e expe ienced a ai ly s able de elopmen , and ha e been s epped
up and ex ended o o he isks. Social policy in he a ea o p oduc ion ela ed o
wo ke s’ igh s in he wo kplace and o labou ma ke policy has unde gone a
di e en de elopmen in he di e en coun ies. Eu opean in eg a ion and he
eedom o mo emen ha e pu his a ea unde p essu e. Finally, he e is a hi d ype
o social policy which ela es o he a ea o ep oduc ion. This deals wi h educa ion
and upb inging, ca e and medical ea men , social suppo in all eme gency si ua ions.
Whils we can ind hese wel a e measu es in all he coun ies o Eu ope, he ex en o
ealisa ion is a he di e en . These di e ences can be explained on a his o ical basis.
He e, he impo an ques ion is how he social p oblem was de ined in he espec i e
coun y a he s a o he de elopmen o he wel a e s a e (Kau mann 2003: 33). As a
consequence, a he di e en o ms o wel a e plu alism de eloped in Eu ope. The
same playe s a e in ol ed e e ywhe e – he s a e and he ma ke , social o ganisa ions
and p i a e households. The espec i e p opo ions o hei ac i i ies a e e y
di e en .
Na ional discou se decides on he ela ionship o he playe s and he ex en o which
wel a e is o be ealised – he ac ha his is no longe enable in he p ocess o
Eu opean in eg a ion and globalisa ion will ha e o be discussed. One o he aspec is
1 The pape p esen ed a he Con e ence „Radicaliza ion and social con lic s in XXI. cen u y” o ganised
by he Uni e si y o Deb ecen, Depa men o Sociology and Social Policy on. 8 Oc obe , 2014.
F anz Hambu ge – Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e 111
impo an o na owing he opic down u he , i.e. so ha I can hen concen a e on
social wo k: “wel a e” is, o s a wi h, a “p oblem o mula o public communica ion
… ha ela es o he media ion be ween he pa icula o ms o li es yle and he
condi ion o de elopmen p ospec s o a communi y” (Kau mann 2003: 227). I
makes discussion abou he co ec deg ee o wel a e di icul , he e o e, as a link is
always es ablished be ween he collec i e ac i i ies and he indi iduals and hei
beha iou . So who dese es o ecei e aid om he s a e? Wha condi ions mus he
indi idual mee in o de o be gi en ins i u ional suppo ?
We immedia ely ecall he mechanisms o disc edi ing o p i ileging g oups o
people. The igh o aid is g an ed o he dese ing poo ; i is denied o he
undese ing poo . Despised g oups such as o eigne s, Sin i and Roma o o he
mino i ies a e supposed o ecei e no help a all o , a he e y leas , o be s ic ly
moni o ed. The ques ions asked oday, howe e , also include: should old people eally
ecei e all he medical bene i s? Shouldn’ in ingemen s o he equi emen s o he
public employmen se ices en ail much oughe sanc ions? Fo which membe s o
he amily should he social insu ance bene i s be a ailable? Do child en eally ha e o
ha e heal h insu ance wi h hei wo king pa en s?
No ma i e bases
These ques ions no only ela e o he sys ema ic concep o wel a e p oduc ion. They
a e also ypical o a ime in which he legi imacy o he wel a e s a e has long been
ques ioned. In any e en , when wel a e and wel a e p oduc ion a e de e mined in such
a way, he meaning o he wo d “social policy” becomes clea , as “social” add esses
he ela ionship o people wi h hei socie y and wi h he s a e – and ice e sa. I is
he same wi h he e m “social pedagogy”.
Fo a long ime, he e was a con ic ion in Eu ope, sha ed by bo h he bou geoisie and
he labou mo emen and o igina ing om he Enligh enmen and Ch is ian ideas. I
was “ he belie in he inhe en alue o e e y pe son and he pe spec i e o a peace ul
coexis ence in libe y and equali y”, as F anz Xa e Kau mann exp essed i
(Kau mann 2003: 38). This “social” idea some imes kep capi alism somewha unde
con ol; in pa icula , i was o bene i o he la e , p omo ed na ional loyal ies and
ga e ise o social secu i y bene i s – on di e en le els, o cou se. Thomas Humph ey
Ma shall summa ised his dynamic in his heo y o ci izenship. (Ma shall 1992). I is,
he e o e, a ma e o decommodi ica ion in he sense ha man is no longe a
commodi y on he labou ma ke and o he ma ke s and is able o de e mine his
ela ionship wi h he en i onmen in his own way. To his end, he s a e, as he all-
powe ul playe , mus p o ide him wi h igh s. I he s a e is no longe able o no
longe wan s o do his because i is d i en in o a co ne by o he powe s o
subsc ibes o na ionalis ideas, he e is a social c isis.
112 METSZETEK Vol.3 (2014) No.4
The wel a e s a e
Fi s , howe e , we mus emembe ha a pe iod o economic g ow h, which was also
os e ed by wel a e policy, i.e. by he imp o emen o incomes, pension and labou
ma ke policy, co-de e mina ion and he expansion o he heal h sys em, was achie ed
in Eu ope a e he Second Wo ld Wa . Bu ka Lu z (1989) has analysed his pe iod
and shown ha he imp o emen o he income o he majo i y o he popula ion ha
was possible on he basis o ull employmen was he decisi e d i ing o ce o
de elopmen . A he same ime, howe e , in “De ku ze T aum imme wäh ende
P ospe i ä ” (The Sho -li ed D eam o Pe pe ual P ospe i y), he shows ha his
pe iod was associa ed wi h a unique se o ci cums ances.
The Uni e sal Decla a ion o Human Righ s in 1948, he expe ience o na ional
solida i y du ing he wa and in he pos -wa pe iod and he poli ical awa eness ha
wa s a e always also made possible by capi al o inancing showed ha he no ma i e
equi emen s o a wel a e s a e also inc eased in his pe iod.
Globalisa ion
The e a e doub less a a ie y o causes o he c isis o he wel a e s a e diagnosed
om he middle o he 1970s. The mos impo an may be he all o he a e o p o i
ha caused companies in Japan, Wes e n Eu ope and No h Ame ica o u he
expand hei in e na ional ma ke s. The expansion o he ma ke s and p oduc ion
loca ions c ea es an in e na ional alue c ea ion chain which pu s he domes ic
loca ions unde p essu e. Thus, globalisa ion becomes a boome ang ha hi s he
employees in he cen al loca ions. The educ ion o wages and social s anda ds is
pushed o wa d wi h he a gumen ha cheape p oduc ion is possible elsewhe e. The
ans o ma ion om he “Keynesian wel a e s a e” o he ma ke s a e is a - eaching.
The middle classes, which pa icula ly bene i ed om he wel a e s a e, come unde
p essu e. The hopes o an upswing el in he 1950s and 1960s ans o m in o ea s o
decline. To sa egua d he loca ion, he s a e mobilises cheap labou h ough on-going
discipline.
The p ocess ha is o ging ahead h ough globalisa ion was in oduced h ough
Eu opean in eg a ion. Wi hin a common ma ke , he s a es a e ying o b ing as much
in es men as possible o hei coun y h ough he p omo ion o indus y. One
means is making labou cheape . Ge many has al eady aken his pa h o a long ime
and hus secu ed i s hegemonic posi ion in Eu ope. I is an i ony o his o y ha he
Eu opean Cen al Bank is now asking he ade unions o demand he y wage
inc eases. Making labou cheape leads o he g ow h in po e y, as well as weal h, in
all he coun ies in Eu ope, wi h he esul ha he weal hy in Eu ope, along wi h he
banks, o m a powe eli e ha has au oc a ic con ol o he s a e (“oliga chic ule”).
Democ acy is educed o ag eemen o a policy ha is sold as he only al e na i e.
F anz Hambu ge – Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e 113
Ame icanisa ion?
One ea u e o his policy is he Eu opean, especially he Ge man, social policy
coming signi ican ly close o he Ame ican model (Seeleib-Kaise 2014). Belonging o
a skilled wo k o ce becomes, mo e han e e , he key condi ion o a secu e
li elihood. The social bene i s o he unemployed and pensione s a e educed and ge
close o he Ame ican le el. Anyone who does no belong o he wo k o ce
con inuously and anyone who is unemployed o a long ime is h ea ened by po e y
and eally becomes poo in old age. The di e ence be ween he Eu opean social
model and he Ame ican one is, howe e , e ained, as he e is a gua an eed minimum
income in Eu ope a he le el o social wel a e. The ci izens a e no obbed o hei
social igh s en i ely; decommodi ica ion su i es a a modes le el. I howe e , as is
he case in Ge many, he sanc ions o he public employmen se ices also educe he
bene i s o he minimum subsis ence le el, e en his baseline o membe ship o
socie y is des oyed. In any case, he di ide be ween he popula ion li ing in po e y
and hose in he wo k o ce has inc eased. This has a disciplining e ec , wi h esul
ha e en undesi ed and poo ly paid wo k is accep ed, up o he p o essional classes.
Fixed e ms in employmen con ac s a e now ound h oughou he a ea.
When hinking abou he u u e he e a e also, a i s glance – con a y o he hi he o
somewha pessimis ic assessmen – mo e a ou able models. Thus he ques ion a ises
o which ci cums ances we e ele an o he pe iods o p ospe i y be o e he Fi s and
a e he Second Wo ld Wa . Whils wel a e s a e policies we e decisi e o he
p ospe i y a e he Second Wo ld Wa , Lu z makes he ollowing diagnosis o he
pe iod be o e he Fi s Wo ld Wa : “Be o e he Fi s Wo ld Wa , he s ong na ional
s a e, which p o ec ed o eign ade and, wi hin he coun y, ensu ed law and o de
and secu ed low labou cos s, was an essen ial condi ion o impe ialis land
acquisi ion h ough he conques o colonial empi es and he de elopmen o
economic sphe es o in luence” (Lu z 1989: 261) Now he cons an expansion o he
Eu opean Union since i s es ablishmen in 1957 can be ega ded as land acquisi ion
o he mode n ma ke o cen es. Al hough he s ages o expansion a e now
ques ionable om he pe spec i e o poli ics and human igh s, he expansion is
o ging ahead and has aken up he s a es be ween he EU and Russia. The Koso o
Wa in 1999 shows ha s a es do no e en shy away om a mili a y seizu e o land. I
we now conside he in es men o Ame ican conce ns and he EU in he Uk aine,
he c isis in he Uk aine no longe seems su p ising. The Wes has al eady won one
cold wa and now ano he such wa seems imminen , his ime agains Russia alone.
114 METSZETEK Vol.3 (2014) No.4
The ac i a ing wel a e s a e
The delibe a ions on he labou ma ke do no go a enough; hey a e con ined o
economic aspec s. The con e sion o he p e en a i e wel a e s a e o an ac i a ing
wel a e s a e is associa ed wi h a undamen al ein en ion o he social aspec
(Lessenich 2008). The indi idual alue p e e ences a e now also he s a e’s con ol
impe a i es. The indi iduals a e in e es ed in au onomy, lexibili y, mobili y and sel -
de e mina ion. And ha is p ecisely wha he s a e and socie y equi e o hem. “Be
subjec i e and ule you sel !”- ha is he slogan. “Bu you will no do jus ice o you
esponsibili y o you sel and socie y in doing so!” The social aspec , i.e. he social
cohesion in which he indi idual mus be in e es ed o easons o sel -p ese a ion, is
ein en ed in he pa adoxical o m o he subjec i e will. Thus, he ea lie pedagogic
o mula o “p omp ing sel -ac i i y”, which has ma u ed in o a wo king p inciple in
social pedagogy, becomes a socio-poli ical p og amme. Also in his espec , we can
speak o an upswing o social pedagogy. Howe e he o mula is no longe being
es ed in an educa ional si ua ion, bu is being implemen ed in social eali y. He e,
he e is no oom o he es ing ha cha ac e ised he educa ional domain. Mo al
s anda ds a e piled o he go e nmen o socie y (“don’ ea oo much”, “don’ ge
a ; s ay i ”, “don’ smoke; d ink in mode a ion”) and he media is aking on he
implemen a ion o his p og amme. “In he new wel a e s a e, socie y is cons i u ed as
a subjec ha is wo king owa ds socially compa ible ac ion by he subjec s. As a esul
o he ini ia ion o socially esponsible independen ac i i y by he indi iduals, a new
pa e n o wel a e s a e ela ions is es ablished ha ela es he subjec s, uno ac u so o
speak, o hemsel es ( hei “sel -in e es ”) and o he social communi y ( he “common
good”).” (Lessenich 2008: 85)
The p og amme o “p omo ing and demanding” has also ans o med a o mula om
wi hin social wo k in o policy. Ad ice and suppo a e me ged wi h pe manen con ol
and h ea s o sanc ions in “case managemen ”.
The ac i a ing wel a e s a e ha ook he place o he s a e o decommodi ica ion has
a pleasan side. Those who a e o be encou aged o wo k need aining, childca e and
ca e o old people, so ha he people o wo king age a e ac ually able o wo k. The
mobilisa ion o a wo k o ce, especially women o mo he s, gi es a boos o social
wo k and he educa ion sys em. The inancial allowances a e o be educed, whe eas
social se ices a e o be ex ended, inso a as hey p omo e employabili y. Jus as s a es
compe e o he bes loca ion, he ci izens a e o igh o secu e posi ions in he
labou ma ke by a ailing hemsel es o p o essional de elopmen oppo uni ies and
h ough sel -managemen . And hose who a e s ill in he wo k o ce mus discipline
hemsel es and o e come hei weaknesses.
This is why all he epo s om he wo ld o wo k poin o pe manen s ess, o
o e axing, o inc easing speeds and in ensi ica ion, o bu ning ou and o exhaus ion.

F anz Hambu ge – Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e 115
Social wo k is in demand in his si ua ion oo, as i is o use i s suppo skills
pu pose ully o he ehabili a ion o he exhaus ed membe s o he wo k o ce.
In he ascendan and unde p essu e
The wo aces o he pedagogisa ion o socie y come o ligh in many a eas o he
p esen de elopmen . Thus, he a ea o you h wel a e has been g owing s eadily in
Ge many o yea s. He e, we canno alk o he disman ling o he wel a e s a e. P e-
school educa ion is expanding apidly; he cos s o you h wel a e a e inc easing e e y
yea . The numbe o people wo king in you h wel a e ose om app ox. 510,000 in
2000 o app ox. 700,000 in 2013. Be ween 2006 and 2012, he expendi u e inc eased
om 20.9 o 32.2 billion eu os. Be ween 1998 and 2012, he expendi u e almos
doubled. (Komda 1&2/2014) I we conside he whole se o social wo k
occupa ions, we can see he ollowing pic u e: he numbe o people wo king in his
a ea in 2010 is es ima ed a 2.2 o 2.5 million; ha is 8% o all people liable o social
insu ance. In 1980, ba ely 300,000 people we e engaged in “social” wo k; since hen,
he annual a e o inc ease has been 5.6%. Howe e , i mus also be men ioned ha
almos hal o hem only wo k hal days (Nodes/Wohl ah 2012).
In Ge many, wo k in childca e cen es, in pa icula , has been pedagogised in ha a
con inuous obse a ion o he child en is conduc ed and documen ed. Suppo ,
p e en ion and con ol go hand in hand.
The con adic o y expansion o social pedagogy is also isible in he p og ammes o
child p o ec ion and o dealing wi h ju enile delinquency. One o he s uc u al
changes in he managemen o you h wel a e is he shi om “wel a e” o “secu i y”
as he a ge o mula (c . Dollinge 2014). This change is undamen al and a ec s all
a eas o policy. A he same ime, “secu i y” is b oade han he “social secu i y” ha
was a he o e in he i s phase o mode nisa ion. A ha ime, “ he social aspec ”
had o be ein en ed, a e de achmen om eudal s uc u es o secu i y and
dependence, h ough employmen con ac secu i y in capi alism. In he Second
Mode n Age, people a e ac i a ed and mobilised o ind employmen in any place in
hei own coun y o he whole o Eu ope. Wi hin socie y, his mobilisa ion ela es, in
pa icula , o women who, in he pas , we e esponsible o he amily, b inging up he
child en and looking a e he old people –o en wo king pa ime a he same ime–
and in many cases s ill a e oday. Social secu i y is now he secu i y and eedom o he
indi idual who becomes mo e dependen on social insu ance, he mo e he/she has
been mobilised. Fo mobilisa ion means de achmen om communi ies; hus, he
a ious “social bols e s” be ween he indi idual and socie y ge hinne .
Social con ol has always been he wo k o he communi ies. I has also p o ided
o ien a ion and, wi hou i , unce ain y becomes he o e -a ching expe ience o
e e yday li e. In his case, secu i y o o ien a ion is p ima ily es ablished by he media
– om mass media o he “social ne wo ks”. The mass media, in pa icula , no only
gene a e secu i y bu p oduce ea h ough hei ixa ion on c ime and he
116 METSZETEK Vol.3 (2014) No.4
d ama isa ion o he ex ao dina y. They a end o people’s deligh in sensa ions and
inc ease his need in hei s uggle o ma ke sha es. Pa icula ly luc a i e in his
espec a e epo s abou disas e s wi h innocen ic ims, ep ehensible pe pe a o s
and se ious damage, ideally wi h a oci ies. Such epo s make he need o secu i y
boundless and legi imise any o m o p e en a i e and p o ec i e secu i y policy. In
he a ea o child p o ec ion and c iminali y, in pa icula , indi idual epo s in he
media a e su icien o se ing he legisla i e machine y in mo ion and de eloping a
policy o de en ion and inca ce a ion o pe pe a o s. Social p oblems a e ansla ed
“in o ques ions o secu i y and he gua an ee o secu i y” (Dollinge 2014: 299). When
hese a e deal wi h, he complexi y o he causes disappea s; he igidi y o he simple
solu ion domina es.
Howe e , such a spi al o s a e ep ession (and social con ol o he neighbou hood in
he case o child p o ec ion) canno con inue inde ini ely. Fo he policy o secu i y
p oduces u he needs o mo e secu i y. And punishmen ins ead o he apy
gene a es ecidi ism. The e o e, he e is a ecu ing discussion abou sophis ica ed
o ms o in e en ion ha a e managed p o essionally. As hese a e expensi e, hey
a e a oided and socie y is supposed o p o ec i sel . Mili ancy e u ns o he sel -help
o he “p e en a i e” o ganisa ions.
Social policy is aking he o m o an in ensi e policy o isk a oidance.
Comp ehensi e diagnoses and moni o ing p ocedu es aim o a oid disas e s – bu
hey also always e eal p eca ious li e si ua ions and call o u he o ms o
in e en ion. As hese a e no a o dable, he e is only one solu ion: he “guil y” a e
no wo h he help and suppo . I social wo k deals wi h hem, i should do i wi h an
i on is .
Social wo k is also massi ely in ol ed in hese p ocesses. I s quan i a i e expansion is,
howe e , connec ed o quali a i e o ma ion. I is no longe concep s ha media e
be ween subjec i e claims and social equi emen s, bu p ocedu es ha implemen he
social equi emen s unde he man le o indi idualisa ion ha a e social desi able. The
iendly isi o wi h his pu i anical beha iou has e u ned.
Re e ences
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In: Zei sch i ü Sozialpädagogik 12, pp 296 – 314.
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Dö ing, D. (H sg.): Sozials aa in de Globalisie ung. F ank u am Mainz,
Suh kamp pp 117 – 144.
Kau mann, F. X. (2003): Va ian en des Wohl ah ss aa es. De deu sche Sozials aa im
in e na ionalen Ve gleich. Suh kamp, F ank u am Main
Komda (Kommen ie e Da en de Kinde - und Jugendhil e) (2014). 17 Book 1 and 2
h p://www. o schungs e bund. udo mund.de/ ileadmin/2014_He 1_KomDa .pd
(10.06.2014)
F anz Hambu ge – Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e 117
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Kapi alismus. Biele eld, ansc ip
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