Social sustainability – a good life for all

Human rights and access to good work and goods such as housing, energy, mobility, education, and health are part of a good life. These rights are often violated. There is the mobile phone or textile company that disregards human rights. There is the organic retailer who pays his staff poorly; and the "burned-out" employee next to his "bored-out" colleague. There is the well-equipped private clinic next to the overburdened public hospital...

In 2011, the UN Human Rights Council adopted guidelines on business and human rights. Globally active companies enjoy access to markets and resources without, for example, the rights of local fishermen being adequately protected. States are now obliged under international law to prevent and punish human rights violations by transnational companies. However, governments must take this task much more seriously. Countries must also be able to build up their own industries instead of being destroyed by competition from subsidized goods in global trade.

A good life for everyone requires distribution. Many people would like to work less instead of constantly doing overtime, while others would like to work more. The latter applies primarily to women. This has been observed by sociology professor Jutta Allmendinger, among others. She concludes: "32 hours are enough." Wage compensation for reduced working hours can be financed by passing on the increasing productivity of labor to wages. There is considerable scope for distribution here.

Competition forthe lowest possible wages and taxes, as seen in the EU, has ledto an erosion of wages and government revenues. Precarious employment conditions and public poverty are the result. Wages and taxes must be coordinated internationally, for example through minimum wages. We can also look to Switzerland with interest. A referendum on the 1:12 initiative is planned there in the fall: according to this , the highest-paid staff in a company may not earn more than 12 times the salary of the lowest-paid employees . This prevents additional earnings for some at the expense of others.

It is primarily poorer people who pay the price for public austerity and privatization policies. This is because they cannot afford more expensive private schools or comprehensive private health care. Those who postpone, neglect, or exacerbate poverty problems are living at the expense of current and future generations.

Rather, it is important to finance public tasks in a socially acceptable manner.

1. Public debt, for example in the form of Eurobonds, is not a problem as long as it is offset by investment and the interest rate is sustainable.
2. Another important pillar of financing is a balanced tax system. To finance extraordinary costs such as those caused by the financial crisis, one-off levies such as a wealth tax should also be used.
3. Redirecting funds wisely: Subsidies to environmentally harmful industries must be phased out. They can be freed up for the transition of employees to new, environmentally friendly jobs.
4. Private funds can also be redirected: financial speculation must be curbed and forms of investment that are beneficial to the real economy and society should be promoted.
5. Central banks are supposed to supply the economy with money by supplying private banks with money. The absurd thing is that they have no influence over what banks do with the money. Instead, central banks should contribute specifically to the financing of public tasks, for example in cooperation with development banks.

The energy and resource consumption of poorer households is usually relatively low. However, access to energy-efficient appliances or rail transport is often a question of money. The "railway of the future" must therefore be accessible, safe, attractive, and affordable for all citizens. This includes good connections to sparsely populated rural areas, regardless of whether this is lucrative from a microeconomic perspective.

Social sustainability is a journey that may never end. It is therefore our responsibility to continuously strive toward this goal. This includes important framework conditions such as legal certainty in the form of collective property rights for common property and democracy. Citizen participation must not mean that primarily better-off people participate, thereby deepening social inequality. A proven model is community organizing, which originated in the labor movement in Chicago in the 1930s. At its core are professional organizers who actively conduct one-on-one conversations and at the same time identify best practices in other communities.