Spotlight
Publication

Minimum Living Standard in Germany

Published

January 15, 2025

Authors

Moritz Rüppel
Torben Fischer
Maike Wittmann
Janek Steitz
Levi Henze

Contact

Vanessa von Hilchen

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Summary

What do people need financially to live comfortably? The Minimum Income Standard (MIS) in the United Kingdom attempts to answer this question: in focus groups supported by experts, a fictitious basket of goods and services is created, the value of which is then quantified. This results in a budget for a comfortable life. So far, there are no comparable figures for Germany. The Minimum Living Standard project aims to change this.

This spotlight traces what the British model would mean if applied to Germany and, based on this, provides initial insights into the novel methodological approach of the Minimum Living Standard project. It shows that current income and social standards may not be sufficient for a life of dignity and participation. Even with a full-time job, none of the households can fully cover their needs with the minimum wage alone. The results show the potential of future surveys of a minimum quality of life to create a central framework for policy and practice. Once the requirements for an adequate standard of living have been clearly defined, it will be possible to assess whether policies are working towards this goal.

Team

Janek Steitz

Levi Henze

Maike Wittmann

Junior Advisor

Maike Wittmann monitors current trends and developments in politics and science at ZSP, laying the foundation for new project ideas.

Torben Fischer

Project Manager

Torben Fischer is not only responsible for planning and managing projects at the ZSP, he is also in charge of designing and developing studies and projects.

Moritz Rüppel

Moritz Rüppel heads the Sustainable Welfare State division. His work focuses on the political and strategic orientation of the department, proactively setting the agenda for the topics it addresses, and transferring research findings to the parliamentary and pre-political arena. Moritz also represents the department in dealings with political actors.