Changes of the welfare state in the US and Germany. The notion 'citizenship' and the reactions in public

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2005 in the subject Sociology - Social System and Social Structure, grade: A, San Diego State University (Sociology), language: English, abstract: In both Germany and the United States, Social Security matters declined in the last decade, be it the money for unemployed people, for pensioners or the tuition for students. In this paper, it should be investigated how the reforms changed the welfare state system, and how the discussions were led in the US and in Germany. By investigating surveys, newspapers and political party programs, I investigate which kind of notion of a citizen lies beyond the debates in these countries. In what kind of social state are people living, what image of a citizen do they have and how are debates about welfare state programs led? Which kind of words and which values are used in the current debates? For this investigation, it will firstly also be explained which theoretical notions of social citizenship and of the welfare state will be taken into consideration for the my investigation.