Transformative Approaches to an Ecologically Sustainable Welfare State

This paper examines how the necessary socio-ecological transformation can be shaped through welfare state institutions and measures in such a way that it does not cause social tensions and avoids any new environmentally harmful maladjustments, but rather is as socially just and ecologically sustainable as possible. The focus is on those policy areas that are addressed within the traditional welfare state and belong to the realm of social policy. Overall, the transition from the traditional to an ecologically sustainable welfare state requires structural changes in various fields of action. These include employment, health and long-term care which are core policy fields within the welfare state, housing and mobility as important elements of social infrastructure, and family policy.