Like the United States, Germany has been severely affected by the global financial crisis. Saving banks and establishing stimulus plans to keep the economy going have put enormous pressure on the welfare state “made in Germany”. The bail-out plans of the German government may have saved the system, but most likely at a very high price for the German tax payer.
For decades, the promises of the German “Sozialstaat” and the "generations'-contract have secured wellness and a specific German social conscience and security for the young and old. For some years though, a changing demography and age structure, permanently high unemployment and exploding costs in the health sector have stirred public debate whether this peculiar German approach is sustainable in an increasingly global and competitive world. This public discourse has gained tremendous momentum across party lines, generations and constituencies under the impact and potential long-term effects of the financial crisis on the system.

In this larger context, the German Studies Seminar will discuss demographic developments in Germany, and how they challenge the social security system, the employment market and the political system. How has German reunification affected the “Sozialstaat”?  Do East and West Germans perceive it differently? What role do family, education and values play in the social welfare system and for societal coherence in Germany? Which quality standards must education meet in view of newly emerging fields of employment, and what relevance has life-long education in an aging German society? Will a ‘generations’ contract’ turn into a ‘generations’ conflict’? To observe the different directions the debate takes in different parts of Germany, the seminar participants will travel to different regions in Germany.

More information can be found at: http://www.cies.org/ and at http://www.fulbright.de/togermany/grants/german-studies-seminar.html