Bert Rürup: „Soziale Gerechtigkeit“ taugt nicht als politischer Maßstab

In Düsseldorf, the concept of "social justice" enjoys an unusually high level of agreement across the political spectrum. This idea is found in election platforms, coalition agreements, parliamentary speeches, and tariff orders alike. Whether it's redistribution policies, support for traditional families, minimum wage adjustments, or pension and tax policy, few desired political measures are not justified by the notion of social justice.

In light of this background, Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil's call in the Bundestag, following the AfD's success in Saxony-Anhalt, was perplexing. He stated, "If we hope to regain trust for the necessary changes, then the question of justice must be at the center of those changes. It must be the benchmark for all decisions." This suggestion seems to imply that social, or redistributive, issues were absent from political policy in recent years.

However, in reality, hardly any reform was passed that did not also claim to be founded on greater social justice. The issue is that there is no universally accepted standard for social justice. Many invoke this concept, but often mean different things. If it is just that every Euro paid into the pension insurance system is worth the same, one would have to reject the "basic pension" or "retirement age of 63."

Similarly, one must question whether it is just that recipients of basic income often face higher tax burdens on additional income than high earners, or that homeowners are generously subsidized for installing heat pumps and solar panels, while many renters must bear the costs of the energy transition in the form of rising heating bills alone.