„Gleichwertigkeit – Ade?“

Abstract

Three main reasons can be identified which triggered a social and political debate whether the task of reaching equal living conditions in Germany has to be abandoned. First, the costs of the reunification and the changed environment caused by globalisation have tightened state budgets available to achieve that aim. Second, economic backwardness and social disengagement of rural areas led to a lasting dependence on transfers from richer German regions. Third, the upcoming demographic change has raised the question whether equal living conditions can be financed for rural areas with low population density. However, the far reaching social consequences of abandoning the aim of equal living conditions remained unconsidered in the debate. Accepting huge differences in living conditions and thus severe territorial disparities means to restrict the equality of opportunity of the rural population and with it endangering the territorial cohesion.