Social Policy

Social policy is crucial to promote social justice. It aims to address social issues, enhance equal opportunities, and improve living conditions for all members of a society.
Below you will find all our articles, publications, and thematic focuses on social policy.

See the topic page Social Policy

Articles

Co-President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation Jan Philipp Albrecht on a green background with the words “Get Involved - Presidents' Column”

100 Days of Merz: Election Gifts for the Few Instead of Prosperity for All

Published: 18 August 2025

Presidents' column

The federal government has unprecedented funds at its disposal but fails to use them for necessary modernization. In doing so, it jeopardizes Germany’s economic future and the prospects of coming generations.

Jan Philipp Albrecht

Statements From Everyday Life - One Option for the Argumentation Around Identity Politics

Published: 1 December 2021

Statements we encounter in conversations about left-wing identity politics which it is important to respond to.

Josephine Apraku, Lou Herbst

“We won’t make progress if we don’t talk about differences in power”

Published: 30 November 2021

Interview

Lou Herbst talks to Ed Greve about the opportunities and limitations of an anti-discriminatory identity politics, intersectionality and what ultimately leads to a divided society.

Lou Herbst, Ed Greve

Hard-Won Progress on Gender Equality Destroyed: The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Women and LGBTIQ

Published: 29 June 2021

2020 was expected to be the feminist super year - the anniversaries of the UN Resolution on "Women, Peace, and Security" and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action were supposed to be celebrated, and discussions about the lack of their implementation to be held. Instead, this became the year that, according to UN Women, would destroy 25 years of feminist achievements.

Birte Rodenberg, Merima Šišić, Jana Prosinger

Publications

Green Priorities for a Better EU Budget

Published: 20 November 2025

Policy Paper

The European Commission’s proposal for the 2028–2034 MFF opens a chance to raise ambition on climate, social, economic and security goals. This framing paper outlines key budget needs, priority areas and governance reforms.

Georg McCutcheon, Anton Möller, Taube Van Melkebeke

Advancing Social Policy in the 2028–2034 EU Multiannual Financial Framework

Published: 20 November 2025

Policy Paper

The 2028–2034 MFF proposal acknowledges social pressures but risks diluting the EU’s social dimension. Social spending is consolidated without a dedicated European Social Fund line, while guarantees are weakened.

Réka Tunyogi

Childbirth: From human rights abuses to autonomous decision-making

Published: 25 August 2022

Facts & Figures

Giving birth under conditions of violence, discrimination or stress is a reality for many women giving birth. Economic and social resources often determine access to a safe and friendly birth environment.

Population policy: Between self-determined family planning and selective birth control

Published: 7 March 2022

Factsheet

Almost 8 billion people will live on earth in 2021. While in the Global North people are encouraged to have children, in the Global South programmes of so-called development aid tend to aim at reducing the birth rate.

Contraception: Between self-determined family planning and forced contraception

Published: 3 March 2022

Factsheet

Contraception is a powerful tool of self-determination and population control. But access to contraception varies around the world and is influenced by economic, social, and cultural factors.

Sozialatlas 2022

Published: 4 February 2022

Atlas

The Sozialatlas 2022 provides an overview of the complexity of the social system, showing its foundations and prospects. It reveals that social cohesion is based on cooperation between society, the state, and the economy—and that its future can only be shaped through joint efforts.