Armut und Teilhabe

Introduction

"We have everything - even arms." This slogan from a welfare association aimed to draw public attention in the early 1990s to a socially and politically scandalous reality: poverty amidst wealth, poverty despite wealth. The long-standing taboo surrounding poverty in a wealthy society has now been overcome. The necessity of incorporating the goal of preventing and overcoming poverty into various policy areas has been recognized. Additionally, scientific engagement with the concepts, manifestations, extent, and causes of poverty, as well as empirical research on poverty, has intensified. The two poverty and wealth reports from the federal government in 2001 and 2005 document the state of knowledge and the spectrum of political activities. Nevertheless, it must be noted: the impact of poverty has not decreased but rather increased. The poverty rate has risen from 12.1% (1998) to 13.5% (2003) and currently (2007) stands at 17.8%. Poverty is not merely a marginal phenomenon but extends into the heart of society. Furthermore, the gap between the rich and the poor is deepening in Germany. In no other Western industrialized country do the incomes of low-wage earners and top earners diverge as rapidly. In 2006, top managers earned an average gross annual salary of 4.3 million euros, which is 126 times more than a worker in the manufacturing sector (34,000 euros/year). Wealth inequality is also solidifying: the top 10% of the population in Germany owns half of the total private wealth, while the bottom 50% possess only 4% of the wealth.