Social security in change: the case of Rostock

This research project focuses on the changes in normative rules and functions of different bearers of social security in the former GDR. Besides state institutions, also religious agencies and personal networks will be examined. The special situation of East Germany offers an unique opportunity to study the influence of law on social organization and practice. In contrast to other former socialist states, the transformation of the former GDR is characterized by the swift and complete take over of the west-german political and legal system. Part of this fundamental change was the transformation of state and state-financed institutions and regulations regarding social security. However, everyday knowledge and routines change much slower than political incentives, so it seems likely that there are still traces of the old legal system to be found. This situation may be described as a legal pluralism that becomes obvious in individuals' convictions about their rights, but also in decisions by welfare agency representatives or in the encounters between clients and clerks at welfare institutions. Besides not only the individual-state relationship changed but the transformation also affected interactions between individuals. These more unconscious actions people undertake to secure their everyday needs constitute another aspect of the past that influences current strategies of social security.

1. Change in the legal definition of need and everyday practice

One major difference between socialist and capitalist provision of social aid is the definition of need. Socialist systems established large corporate groups with special needs, such as "the youth" or "the women" and then distributed state resources to them indiscriminately. For example, the state provided women (!) with childcare facilities so they could work, and families with children had more chances to get a flat. In contrast, capitalist systems distribute governmental aid to individuals in defined situations of need, thereby discriminating between people who deserve these funds and people who do not. To take up the examples above, state provision of childcare in West Germany is based on proof of the financial need and evidence of the mother's employment, which for example means that single mothers are served first. Help in financing a flat is not automatically provided for families with children but given to individuals who prove that they do not have enough money to pay the rent (and of course if their flat does not exceed the square meters defined as appropriate).
The transformation from a state system with broad categories of privileges to a system where the category of individual need is dominant meant that a great portion of the population lost social entitlements, and receiving money from the state became a social stigma. What in former times seemed to be naturally bound to stages in the life circle (such as a place in a daycare facility) has to be applied for now. Additionally people have to learn what can be applied for in which situations and where to find (and to accept the need for) advice. The research will accordingly investigate what client strategies have been build up and how people find their way through the state system of social security. Additionally, the project will examine how expectations of clients and/or clerks differ from each other and both from state laws and codes. In other words: is there a mixture between different legal and normative rules at work, and if so, what kind?

2. Meaning and function of religious institutions in a formerly atheistic environment

Besides the introduction of different access principles to social welfare, the organization of the social system has also changed. The West German model is based on a pluralistic institution system which ideally represents different social groups, such as Catholics, Protestants or Social-Democrats. All these institutions (Caritas, Diakonisches Werk, Arbeiterwohlfahrt) have in common that they were not existent in the GDR and were introduced from above after 1990. Thus, they lack the basis which is, at least theoretically, the foundation of the western model. This is especially true for the religious based associations and may influence their social acceptance as well as access to local informal networks of help. The project will examine how the potential clients of these religious institutions evaluate and use them, e.g. do they see any sense or specific difference between them and does this influence their interactions with these agencies? What kind of religion-based networks have been established in recent years and does religious affiliation gain in importance for social security? Additionally, the question of which legal and normative rules are utilized as the local staff of these agencies dispense aid is especially interesting. The assumption again is that there are different legal concepts at work here.

3. Change in the social security functions of personal networks

Personal networks fulfill social security functions in every society, but the actual content may be very different. Personal networks in socialist times have been described as relatively small, relying on intensive relationships based on mutual trust. Scarcity in goods and social services were partly overcome by these networks. Under capitalist circumstances, not the scarcity of goods but the scarcity of paid work is a problem. In studies on personal networks in western societies, the importance of so-called weak ties for finding employment has been demonstrated (Granovetter 1973). But it is exactly these weak ties which were lacking in socialist personal networks, where the state provided its citizens with the right to paid work. Almost the same situation holds true for the childcare facilities already mentioned, which are heavily dependent on private initiatives in West Germany and used to be provided by the state in the former GDR. The research question therefore is how far the functions of personal networks adapted to the new system and what kind of inner-familial conflicts arise due to the change in social security, for example along generation and gender divisions regarding childcare?