The German welfare state has been the target of criticism in recent years - and has seen itself, despite surviving in the most recent financial crisis, downgraded to the extended arm of neoliberal capitalism. Lothar Böhnisch and Wolfgang Schröer show that when it comes to the discussion of the future of the social sphere, a critique of social policy which is only fixated on the welfare state can only lead to a dead end. Rather, it is the socio-political principle from which the actual effect and strength of the social originates, even in the society of the second modern era. The objective of this book is to expose this principle, to expand it in light of the present development, and thereby bring the one-sided discourse around the welfare state into a more dialectical context.
