Symbolic Boundaries and Stigma Management of ALG II Recipients

Abstract

The introduction of Hartz IV (formally Arbeitslosengeld II [German unemployment benefits]) in 2005 resulted in deep cuts for affected recipients of transfer payments. In the accompanying discourses and public opinion, images of individual failures and "typical Hartz IV recipients" were manifested, which often portrayed recipients in a stigmatizing way. In order to avoid these stigmatizations or to pass them on to other beneficiaries, different distinctions are made by recipients, that allow for a differentiation within the collective of Hartz IV recipients. In the article, I propose to discern these distinctions with the theoretical construct of symbolic boundaries, that can be read as a form of stigma management (GOFFMAN 1975 [1963]). Data are in the form of problem-centered interviews with ALG II recipients, which were analyzed using the documentary method. In the article, I reconstruct the boundaries between employment and respectability, as well as the practical consequences of passing stigmatization to other unemployment recipients. Finally, I discuss the sociopolitical implications for the Bürgergeld [citizen's income] that has been in effect since January 2023 and serves as a reform of the former Hartz IV.