The Sozialalmanach 2021 has just been published!

Caritas Luxembourg has just published the 15th and last edition of its Sozialalmanach, on the theme "Wéi e Lëtzebuerg fir Muer? Raus aus der Kris - mee wouhin?".

Before risking a look into the future, including the challenges of the current crisis (even if since our editorial closing in mid-March the situation has changed again, but no one knows exactly what will happen next), the Sozialalmanach offers a retrospective on the last State of the Nation speech, the 2020/2021 social policy, as well as the European Semester and the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy in Luxembourg. At the end of this first part, we discuss the key elements and questions that will be addressed in the Prime Minister's next State of the Nation speech in the autumn of 2021.

In the second part, as always, it has not been possible to cover all the topics due to space constraints and author shortages. Nevertheless, after the Prime Minister's foreword, thirteen contributions follow, each dealing in its own way with the theme set. Among the national and foreign authors are the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Secretary General of the OECD, Ángel Gurría. In addition, no less than 4 contributions will be made by uni.lu members. The range of topics is very wide and paths are indicated that should be taken in order to move forward together towards a better future.

The statistics and graphics in the third part illustrate the first two parts and trace the evolution of the Europe 2020 strategy.

The Sozialalmanach 2021 goes to the heart of the questions on social development in Luxembourg: Raus aus der Kris - mee wou hin?

Structure

Das soziale Jahr April 2020 – März 2021 in Luxemburg

• Die Regierungsarbeit bestand vor allem aus Krisenbewältigung
• Regierungsarbeit nach furiosem Beginn schon am Ende?
• Armut, Wohnungsfrage und Klimawechsel bleiben wesentliche Probleme

Wéi ee Lëtzebuerg fir muer?beleuchtet aus nationalen und internationalen Perspektiven

• Die Krise bietet auch die Möglichkeit, die Zukunft anders zu gestalten
• Eine gerechtere Wirtschaft und mehr Solidarität sind möglich
• Ein „weiter so wie bisher“ ist keine Option

Die soziale Entwicklung in Zahlen

• Soziale Ziele der Europa-2020-Strategie verfehlt
• Die Pandemie vergrößert bestehende Ungleichheiten noch
• Paradigmenwechsel notwendig für eine humanere Wirtschaft

Autors

Başak Bağlayan • Beate Blättner

David Büchel • Norbert Campagna

Michel Di Felice • Ángel Gurría

Herwig C. H. Hofmann • Wolfgang Kessler

Marcelo Lemos • Martina Liebsch

Luca Ratti • Carole Reckinger

Rachel Reckinger • Jean-Jacques Rommes

Silvia Tricarico • Robert Urbé

Ursula Von der Leyen • Marco Wagener

Christoph Weirich • Frank Wies

The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem, however much we are asked to believe this dogma of neoliberal faith. Whatever the challenge, this impoverished and repetitive school of thought always offers the same recipes. ..The fragility of world systems in the face of the pandemic has demonstrated that not everything can be resolved by market freedom. It has also shown that, in addition to recovering a sound political life that is not subject to the dictates of finance, “we must put human dignity back at the centre and on that pillar build the alternative social structures we need… Global society is suffering from grave structural deficiencies that cannot be resolved by piecemeal solutions or quick fixes. Much needs to change, through fundamental reform and major renewal."   Pope Francis in No. 168/179 of his encyclical. "Fratelli Tutti", 17 September 2020.

To order the Sozialalmanach