The Labor Market and Social Policy Program of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen

One guiding motive of the programme is to increase flexibility for workers. They are to be given various possibilities to determine the length and location of their work to a greater extent than before. These increased degrees of freedom for employees go hand in hand with a restriction of flexibility for companies. In particular, far-reaching restrictions are outlined for non-standard forms of employment. A second leitmotif is legal intervention in wage formation. The increase in the minimum wage and, above all, regulations on the question of how wages for different activities should stand in relation to each other form a contrast to the free wage setting of employees and employers. A third leitmotif is to extend the benefits of social security systems. Proposals to improve the efficiency of social security are not a main focus, but nevertheless part of the programme.

This article develops a taxonomy of reform proposals and discusses the justifications as well as the advantages and disadvantages from an - albeit not the only possible - economic perspective. Where appropriate, the consequences of implementation are discussed. As a rule, this remains a qualitative assessment of the consequences. A quantitative analysis must be reserved for studies that focus on individual reform proposals.