Reform narratives and argumentative coupling in German pension policy: constructing the ‘deserving retiree’

Abstract

German pension policy experienced a shift in the early 2000s, when public pensions were cut back, the retirement age raised, and private, publicly subsidized pension provision stipulated. Within a coherent reform narrative, those reforms were grounded on arguments of a ‘demographic time bomb’, a no-longer-affordable public pension scheme, and the return potential of private pension funds. Yet this narrative was delegitimized quickly with zero-rate-policy, and increasing old-age poverty in a lean public pension scheme. In such a situation, it can be expected difficult to either adapt the old narrative or construct new ones. This makes an interesting case for this article to study reform narratives and argumentative coupling in recent German pension policy through two contrasting cases: A failed attempt at establishing a minimum-pension scheme; and a ‘successful’ reform package combining a ‘mothers’ pension’ and exceptions for a full pension at age 63. Findings illuminate how the contrasting success of those reform proposals can be understood in terms of narrative stories: The reform which–political-strategically–could build on the ‘deservingness’ of the target groups could be agreed upon comparatively easily. Possible beneficiaries of a minimum pension are of varying ‘deservingness’, though, and narrating a more ‘problem-solving’ story has proven difficult.