1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910306645103321

Autore

Scheubel Beatrice

Titolo

Bismarck's institutions : a historical perspective on the social security hypothesis / / Beatrice Scheubel

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Mohr Siebeck, 2013

Tübingen : , : Mohr Siebeck, , 2013

ISBN

3-16-152497-7

Edizione

[1. Aufl.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (296 pages) : illustrations

Collana

Beiträge zur Finanzwissenschaft, , 0340-675X ; ; 31

Altri autori (Persone)

ScheubelBeatrice

Soggetti

Social security

Social security individual investment accounts

History

Germany Population History 19th century

Germany Social conditions 19th century

Germany

Deutschland

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references.

Sommario/riassunto

The decline in birth rates in advanced economies is not a new phenomenon. Between 1880 and 1900 birth rates dropped from 5.5 children per woman to 2.5 children per woman. A further decline from 2.5 to 1.5 or even 1.3 children took much longer --  about 80 years. One of the most apparent causes is, however, widely ignored. Beatrice Scheubel tries to fill this gap. According to the so-called Social Security Hypothesis, insurance against the risks of life (i.e. poverty for all sorts of reasons, in particular, age) by the state crowds out all types of private insurance. One of the (vast) different possibilities to privately insure oneself against poverty is having children. That is why it should not be surprising to witness falling birth rates given the sheer magnitude of the welfare state. In this book, Beatrice Scheubel analyses the effects of the first comprehensive system of social security, which was introduced between 1883 and 1891 in Germany.