MATCH
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  2. 5th Future of the Welfare State 2026 Conference
  3. Programme
  4. Areas of action

Areas of action

Change Maker I

Welfare state policy, reforms & guidelines

  • Ensuring financial sustainability and intergenerational justice ​

  • Striking a balance between freedom, personal responsibility and state provision in the welfare state​

  • Balancing the funding mechanisms of social insurance schemes in a way that is reform-proof and intergenerationally fair

  • Distributing the burden fairly and stabilising the funding bases of the welfare state​

  • Strengthening the political governance and reform capacity of the welfare state​

  • Further developing self-administration and governance within the welfare state​

  • Clearly defining responsibilities and competences within the welfare state

  • 2026 reports: Commission on the Welfare State, Commission on Old-Age Provision, Commission on Statutory Health Insurance Financing, Pact for the Future of Long-Term Care.

Change Maker II

Digital infrastructure, data & AI

  • Digital infrastructure as the foundation of the welfare state ​

  • Digital identities and the ‘once-only’ principle​

  • Using data securely and establishing common standards for systems and registers​ – Social Data Platform

  • Artificial intelligence and data-driven management​

  • Developing platforms and portals as the new organisational framework for the welfare state

  • Bundling services via integrated digital systems and delivering them in a user-centred way​

Change Maker III

Efficiency, Costs & Structures

  • Reducing administrative costs in the welfare state and using resources more effectively

  • Systematically expand shared services and common infrastructures

  • Simplify structures and reduce duplication of effort within the system

  • Standardise processes and organise services more efficiently

  • Measurably increase productivity in public administration and social security

  • Consistently align organisations with their core tasks

Change Maker IV

Leadership, Human Resources & the World of Work

  • Securing skilled workers and positioning the welfare state as an attractive employer​

  • Shaping new job profiles and the collaboration between people and technology​

  • Ensuring the responsible and ethically considered use of artificial intelligence​

  • Further developing work organisation and leadership culture within the welfare state​

  • Actively steering change in the world of work and enabling organisations to adapt to transformation​

Change Maker V

Customer focus, transparency & future technologies

  • Simplifying access to social benefits through integrated digital services​

  • The welfare state as a one-stop shop for citizens​

  • Transparency regarding benefits, procedures and entitlements​

  • Clear, accessible and low-threshold communication within the welfare state​

  • Using future technologies to improve user experience and service quality​

  • Making targeted use of data and feedback to continuously improve services​ ​

  • Enabling secure and data-protection-compliant access to powerful AI systems and language models