|
|||||||||||
|
CAUTION: The following links and
accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation
in Germany in the early years of the 21st Century. Some of
these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are
unsubstantiated, misleading or even false. No attempt has been
made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content. HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking
for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on
this page and others to see which aspects of poverty are of particular
interest to you. You might be
interested in exploring the relationship between distribution of labor and
per-capita GDP, for example. Perhaps
your paper could focus on life expectancy or infant mortality. Other factors of interest might be
unemployment, literacy, access to basic services, etc. On the other hand, you might choose to
include some of the possible outgrowths of poverty such as Human Trafficking,
Street Children,
or even Prostitution. There is a lot to the subject of
Poverty. Scan other countries as well
as this one. Draw comparisons between
activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. *** Extreme Weather *** Extreme
Temperatures: The highest recorded temperature in Germany was 40.3°C
(104.5°F) in Bad Mergentheim, Baden-Württemberg on
July 20, 2022. Notably, the warmest years on record in Germany were 2018 and
2022. Severe
Flooding and Storms: In 2021, devastating floods struck Germany, particularly
in the Ahr Valley region, resulting in at least 134
fatalities due to flash flooding that wrecked entire towns. Climate
scientists were shocked by the scale of these floods, as records were broken
beyond their expectations. In July
2021, heavy rainfall led to catastrophic flooding, with 58 people dead and
many others missing. The environment minister emphasized that “climate change
has arrived in Germany” as the country grappled with destroyed buildings and
stranded individuals. Germany has also faced hailstorms and extreme flash
floods, which are attributed to fluctuations in temperature and humidity due
to climate change. – Microsoft
BING Copilot *** ARCHIVES *** The World Factbook - Germany U.S. Central Intelligence Agency CIA www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html [accessed 29
December 2020] World Factbook
website has moved to ---> www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany/ [accessed 5 January 2021] The
German economy - the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and
Europe's largest - is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals,
and household equipment. Germany benefits from a highly skilled labor force,
but, like its Western European neighbors, faces significant demographic
challenges to sustained long-term growth. Low fertility rates and a large
increase in net immigration are increasing pressure on the country's social
welfare system and necessitate structural reforms. Reforms
launched by the government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (1998-2005),
deemed necessary to address chronically high unemployment and low average
growth, contributed to strong economic growth and falling unemployment. These
advances, as well as a government subsidized, reduced working hour scheme,
help explain the relatively modest increase in unemployment during the
2008-09 recession - the deepest since World War II. The German Government
introduced a minimum wage in 2015 that increased to $9.79 (8.84 euros) in
January 2017. GDP -
per capita (PPP): $50,800 (2017
est.) Labor
force - by occupation: agriculture:
1.4% industry:
24.2% services: 74.3% (2016 est.) Unemployment
rate: 3.8% (2017
est.) Population
below poverty line: 16.7% (2015
est.) Maternal
mortality rate: 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) Infant
mortality rate: total: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births Life
expectancy at birth: total population: 81.1 years Drinking
water source: improved: total: 100% of population Physicians
density: 4.25 physicians/1,000 population (2017) Sanitation
facility access: improved: total: 100% of population Electricity
access: electrification - total population: 100% (2016) The
Borgen Project - Germany borgenproject.org/category/germany/ [accessed 3 February 2021] The Borgen Project works with U.S. leaders to utilize the
United States’ platform behind efforts toward improving living conditions for
the world’s poor. It is an innovative,
national campaign that is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign
policy. It believes that leaders of
the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global
poverty. From ending segregation to providing women with the right to vote,
nearly every wrong ever righted in history was achieved through advocacy. The
Borgen Project addresses the big picture, operating
at the political level advancing policies and programs that improve living
conditions for those living on less than $1 per day. ~
Tackling Child Poverty In Germany borgenproject.org/child-poverty-in-germany/ ~
Updates On Sdg Goal 16 In Germany borgenproject.org/sdg-goal-16-in-germany/ ~
Online Platform Helping Refugees Find Answers borgenproject.org/online-platform-helping-refugees/ ~
Innovations In Poverty Eradication In Germany borgenproject.org/poverty-eradication-in-germany/ ~
Germany’s Dual System Integrates Syrian Refugees borgenproject.org/germanys-dual-system-integrates-syrian-refugees/ ~
The Fight Against Hunger In Germany borgenproject.org/hunger-in-germany/ ~
More Than A Trend: What Food Allergies In Germany Are Costing The Poor borgenproject.org/more-than-a-trend-what-food-allergies-in-germany-are-costing-the-poor/ Going
to the Bank for Food, Not Money: The Growing Reality of Hunger in “Rich”
Countries Human Rights Watch World Report 2020 www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/global-4 [accessed 31 January 2021] The UK
is not alone. Germany’s Tafel network of around 940
food banks (or food tables), which opened in 1993 gave food to 1.65 million
people last year; it has seen steady rises in demand over the past decade-and-a-half,
with more and more women, children, and older people needing food aid. In
Germany, the coming year will see important arguments in court about whether
scaling back welfare support for asylum-seekers—about 127,000 in the first
nine months of 2019, which could leave many struggling to feed themselves—is
lawful given Germany’s constitutionally guaranteed “dignified minimum
existence.” With
better legal protections, better measurement, and stronger policy responses,
this entirely avoidable hunger can be reduced drastically. Hunger in wealthy
countries is not inevitable, and food banks are not a substitute for
government action. As the UN’s former special rapporteur on the right to food
and 57 other prominent academic and nongovernmental organization voices have
warned, we should never get used to the idea of “leftover” food for “left
behind people”. The World Bank in Germany www.worldbank.org/en/country/germany/overview [accessed 19 April 2021] Germany
works closely with the international community to reduce poverty and promote
sustainable development, food security, peace, and human rights, among other
goals. Looking back a few years … Advameg, Inc., Encyclopedia of the Nations www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Germany-ECONOMY.html [accessed 29 December 2020] The
costs of reunification saddled the country with $300 billion in debt, forcing
western Germans to pay a 7.5% "solidarity"
surtax for reconstructing the eastern section. Even with the infusion of
cash, the eastern sector was essentially bankrupt in the late 1990s with 25%
unemployment and worker output at 50% of its western counterpart. However,
high unemployment did not result in a drop in the hourly wage rate. High
labor costs also plague the west where workers average a 38-hour work week
and enjoy six weeks of vacation per year. To remain competitive, German
companies are cutting staff and relocating manufacturing jobs to lower wage
countries. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT
COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Prof. Martin
Patt, "Poverty - Germany", http://gvnet.com/poverty/Germany.htm,
[accessed <date>] |
