This paper takes stock of German public support measures in favour of families. The database comprises benefits from family-specific norms of tax law as well as cash and in-kind transfers both from public budgets (federal, states’ and local layer) and from the social insurance system...

Subsidy expenditures granted by the German federal layer decreased in the 2000 to 2004 period from €39.6 billion to €33.7 billion, measured according to a comprehensive definition of subsidies. In a narrower definition, figures accounted for about €2 billion below that level. From 2005...