Over the last decades European welfare states have been under great financial pressure and have reacted with different reforms. At the beginning of this century Germany implemented the so-called Hartz-Reforms, by which changes in the labour market have become remarkable in intensity and have had far-reaching consequences for the social security system. The effects are apparent on the side of producers (state/ administration), as well as on the side of consumers (society/ people in need). Firstly, increasing expenditures and the complexity of regulatory burdens within labour market institutions are proven and well discussed in literature. Secondly, there is a concern that as a result of the reform the insurance-based German welfare state has been put into question and its societal legitimacy is at risk (Hassel und Schiller 2010a, Hassel und Schiller 2010b, Rosenthal 2009, Fleckenstein 2008, Eichhorst und Marx 2011). Our paper assumes the first position that refers to results from scientific literature. To investigate the second considerations we therefore ahve to ask: What can we observe regarding the acceptance of the reform by German citizens and how can we explain differences in support for particular regulations? Opposite to the wide-spread expectation in literature that the reform is rejected by society we observe both: obvious rejection and strong support by a substantial part of the population. We explain these findings drawing on theoretical approaches in empirical justice research. People are embedded in different social contexts and develop different conceptions of justice. These conceptions serve as normative basis for evaluating societal and political reforms. Hence, differences in evaluating the Hartz-IV reform are the result of different conceptions of what redistribution of wealth is just. Furthermore, we argue that changes in welfare institutions are followed by a process of adjustment where people increasingly learn to accept new regulations. This process is the result of socializing effects of the welfare institution on its members. Our results are well-documented by several data sets and statistical analyses. Presenting an interdisciplinary paper our work is based on both: political-scientific and sociological research. Bibliography Eichhorst, Werner and Paul Marx. 2011. ""Reforming German labour market insitutions: A dual path to flexibility."" Journal of European Social Policy 2011(21):73-87.<br/><br/>Fleckenstein, Timo. 2008. ""Restructuring welfare for the unemployed: the Hartz legislation in Germany."" Journal of European Social Policy 2008(18):177-188.<br/><br/>Hassel, Anke and Christof Schiller. 2010a. Der Fall Hartz IV: wie es zur Agenda 2010 kam und wie es weitergeht. Frankfurt am Main: Campus Verlag.<br/><br/>Hassel, Anke and Christof Schiller. 2010b. ""Sozialpolitik im Finanzföderalismus - Hartz IV als Antwort auf die Krise der Kommunalfinanzen "" Politische Vierteljahresschrift 2010(51):95-117.<br/><br/>Rosenthal, Peer. 2009. ""Arbeitslosenversicherung im Wandel."" In Arbeitsmarktpolitik in der sozialen Marktwirtschaft. Vom Arbeitsförderungsgesetz zum Sozialgesetzbuch II und III, eds. Silke Bothfeld, Werner Sesselmeier and Claudia Bogedan. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
