topic Research

Reporting on Socio-Economic Developments in Germany (soeb)

The research collaboration on socio-economic reporting sees the development of the last decades as a transformation of the German production and social model: the interplay between economy, politics, institutions and individuals no longer follows the pattern that characterized the societal developments in the "old" Federal Republic. Economic models and ways of life change simultaneously and in different ways. Like an individual household, society as a whole needs to strike a certain balance between economic considerations and individual needs and life goals. Socio-economic reporting looks at individual changes as well as changes in the interplay between these areas. The question is: Can our changing society inspire people to follow, or will many of them fall by the wayside?

Work and Lifestyles

The first report on socio-economic development in Germany showed the feasibility of a socio-economic approach for reporting. It was entitled "Berichterstattung zur sozioökonomischen Entwicklung in Deutschland: Arbeit und Lebensweisen" (Report on Social Economic Development in Germany: Work and Lifestyles) and was published in August 2005 by VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.

It studied the changes in the relationship between work and private lifestyles against the background of social and economic developments in the Federal Republic of Germany over the last 30 years. It raised questions such as: Why has today's working world changed so much that parents often no longer understand what their sons and daughters do for a living? Is there a connection between the new types of work, professional careers and our understanding of the roles of men and women?
The working world is changing. Not from one day to the next but steadily and at an increasing pace. The eight-hour day in the factory or office, lifelong employment in one and the same firm from one's apprenticeship to one's retirement, the woman's sole responsibility for the household and bringing up children: Fewer and fewer people are living these kinds of lives.

Life for many people today is very different: Temporary contracts, two or three vocational qualifications, and interruptions in one's working life due to phases of self-employment, further training or unemployment are no longer the exception, particularly as far as men are concerned. Women, on the other hand, are becoming increasingly well qualified. More and more women are working and do not give up work when they have children but often only remain at home for a short period. Many women with children have part-time jobs in order to be able to combine gainful employment with their work in the family.

At the same time, job contents are also changing: Industrial work and unskilled activities are playing a diminishing role. Service activities and qualified activities are becoming increasingly important. Apart from specialist knowledge and vocational qualifications, these activities require increased commitment, initiative and self-organization, or even the ability to market oneself.

This can give employees new and extended opportunities. They also benefit from more diverse job contents and flexible working time models. Tele-work allows them to choose where they want to work. But there is often a downside to the greater freedom which new working patterns allow. The boundaries between work and other areas of people's lives are becoming hazy; work, family and private interests place competing demands on their time and commitment. Different time structures mean that individuals must make an increasing effort to coordinate the different areas of their lives.

Participation in transition

The second report focuses on changes in the participation patterns of individuals and households as well as on the institutional changes in the German production and social model and relates these two levels to each other.
Participation manifests itself in gainful employment; close social relationships; civil, political and social rights; and participation in education and culture. In the context of socio-economic reporting, the participation concept fulfils two functions: On the one hand, it is a measure of individual welfare that does justice to society's level of individualization, as it looks at the opportunities for participation as well as the degree of actual participation. On the other hand, the study of collective participation patterns means that this factor can be addressed in connection with social structure analysis.

Changes are studied at the micro-level of individuals and households/family forms from the point of view of this concept - particularly participation in the form of gainful employment, close social relationships and social security. Insecure labour participation, increasingly diverse gender arrangements in households, increasing social selectivity in the prevention-oriented German social (security) state, and rising educational inequalities put the sort of participation that was typical of the "German model" of the post-war decades into question. The driving factors behind the changes in the production model need to be identified at a macro level to determine how our social model needs to be adjusted.

In this context, the participation concept enables a dynamic perspective on new and old inequalities: First of all, a longitudinal examination of individual life courses shows the mode and the extent of societal participation (for example the duration of periods of employment and periods of non-employment, the frequency of employment interruptions, the overall periods of employment throughout a person's life). Secondly, the phenomenon of participation is a sliding scale, not a matter of two extremes - in other words, it is not about creating a contrast between "inside" and "outside". A central finding of the report is that there are huge inequalities, not only when it comes to the risks and opportunities of change, but also in the need for adaptation. Social inequalities, diversity, stability and turbulences in people's lives are increasing in equal measure.

The second report on socio-economic reporting will be published by VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften in summer 2011 under the title "Berichterstattung zur sozioökonomischen Entwicklung in Deutschland: Teilhabe im Umbruch" (Report on Social Economic Development in Germany: Participation in Transition).

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been funding collaborative projects on socio-economic reporting since 2000. The Institute for Sociological Research at the University of Göttingen (SOFI) is responsible for coordinating the research collaborations and for project management. After an initial collaborative project (soeb I: 2000 - 2004) was carried out in connection with the first report on socio-economic development in Germany, the socio-economic reporting approach was further developed - conceptually, thematically and methodologically - in a project for the second report (soeb II) and its empirical database was broadened. For this purpose, the second research collaboration was reconstituted. The collaborative project ended in June 2009. Preparations for a third collaborative project (soeb III) started in August 2009. The concept phase will include a pilot project on "Collaborative data evaluation and the virtual working environment", in which the concept of a virtual research environment will be applied for the first time in the social sciences. In addition, soeb III will make more use of the infrastructure in the area of social and economic data, which has improved significantly thanks to BMBF funding.

The latest information on socio-economic reporting is available at www.soeb.de.