Poverty comparison: city dwellers can afford less – tagesschau.de

Poverty comparison: city dwellers can afford less – tagesschau.de

<-! - Media>

Date: 25/08/2014 15:28 clock

In Germany’s big cities grows according to a study, the risk of sliding into poverty. There adopted in recent years, the income poverty more rapidly than in the countryside, while the purchasing power grew more slowly or even declined, as from the study “Regional Poverty Rates” of employer-Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln (IW) is apparent. The gap is partly due to rising rents in the cities.

East-West divide is shrinking

In contrast, shrink according to the analysis the differences between East and West. When looking exclusively at the incomes show a wide gap between West and East. However, would the price differences between cities and rural areas and between eastern and western Germany consulted, subject poverty rates “not that far apart,” explained the economist Christoph Schröder, and Klaus-Heiner Röhl.

So Thuringia, on the third-lowest rate of all federal states. Brandenburg, the purchasing power most of the new states, might even catch up with almost Hamburg, IW director Michael Huether said.

Especially many Cologne are kaufkraftarm

At the same time, the urban-rural divide is stronger than expected. In rural areas are on average only 14 percent of the population “kaufkraftarm”, in the cities, however 22 percent. Especially bad cuts according to the study from Cologne, where 26 percent are “kaufkraftarm” as – closely followed by Dortmund and the western part of Berlin. Even in cities like Bremerhaven and Duisburg there was almost a quarter “purchasing power arms.”

If in five years of the Solidarity Pact II would expire, get extra money through the East, should the regional policy support to cities and metropolitan areas are deflected, called IW director Michael Huether. There, investments, foundations, education and integration needed to be strengthened.

Less than 870 euros a month

The Institute has the numbers for relative income poverty, the current prices in the regions compared. From this, the researchers form the new term purchasing power poverty, they consider meaningful. Income poor is according to IW, who as a single person has less than 870 euros per month available. But a Munich will just make much as an average German with those 870 euros, he has to spend 1030 euros, as the analysis showed. In Stendal and Vogtland is only of just under 800 euros.

Stark therefore declined purchasing power in cities such as Duisburg, Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen. Consequently, in the Ruhr area and the purchasing power poverty has grown the most. Big problems give it continues also in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.