Does work still pay in Germany?

Olaf Scholz' major social reform, Bürgergeld, increases unemployment payments while dropping the penalties on people who don't find work. Some say it rewards laziness.

Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash

Dear Reader,

Some political debates are as old as politics itself. Such as the one about whether giving alms to the poor makes them lazy.

Last year, Olaf Scholz’ government introduced a new welfare reform to replace the stringent old Hartz IV system. Given the friendly sounding name Bürgergeld (Citizen’s Money), the new …