The first episode of Spaßbremse is here, and Michelle (@shhellgames) and Ted (@ted_knudsen) are discussing Hartz IV—aka Arbeitslosengeld II—the controversial reforms to unemployment benefits introduced by Gerhard Schröder's SPD-Green coalition government in the early 2000s. Produced by Isaac Würmann (@wuermann).

Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider. 

To learn more about Hartz IV, here are some links to articles and studies cited in this episode: 

-German Deunificaton: An interview with Ingar Solty by Darko Vujica in the Monthly Review

-The Low Wage Sector in Germany is Larger than Previously Assumed by Markus M. Grabka and Carsten Schröder for the German Institute for Economic Research

-Which is worse? by Adam Tooze in the London Review of Books

Hosts Michelle and Ted tell us about what to expect on Spaßbremse, including a fair share of gripes about how Germany is portrayed in English-language media. 

Music by Lee Rosevere.