• February 4th: Lecture and Discussion - Past, Present and Future of the Welfare State
  

Wednesday, February 4th, 2004: Lecture and Discussion
Topic:	Past, Present and Future of the Welfare State
Sponsored by:	Sponsored by the Hertie Foundation and the American Council on Germany
Speakers:	Kurt Biedenkopf, Chairman, Hertie School of Governance Cathie Jo Martin, Professor of Political Science, Boston University Moderated by Kevin Cullen, former European Correspondent, The Boston Globe
Location:	Goethe Institut Boston
Time:	6:00 p.m.
Fee:	Free and Open to the Public
RSVP:	Pre-registration suggested. Questions can be directed to Karin Oehlenschlaeger at koehlenschlaeger@giboston.org or call at 617-262-6050, ext. 18.
Description:	The attempt to reform Germany's welfare system has almost toppled the present administration. A heated debate surrounds the issue. Will the welfare state become Americanized? Is Germany still a worker's paradise from an American point of view? A panel discussion on the state's responsibilities towards its citizens. Professor Kurt Biedenkopf is one of the leading politicians of the Christian Democratic Party in Germany and former member of the Bundestag. From 1990 to 2002 he was Minister-President of Saxony. A scholar of political science and law, Dr. Biedenkopf is now the Chairman of the Hertie School of Governance, Germany's first Professional School for Public Policy. Professor Cathie Jo Martin has spent a year in Denmark to study the welfare state first-hand and now continues her research on welfare state development in Europe at Boston University. The discussion is part of the year-long series Transatlantic Conversations: Common Concerns - Different Views which brings together public intellectuals from both countries to debate important issues in the public discourse between the United States and Germany. The programs are moderated by German and American journalists familiar with both countries.