Facets of Civil Society
One third of citizens in Germany involve themselves for the common good with time, ideas and money.
The TV presenter Markus Kavka discusses right-wing extremism with school classes in Saxony and has a blog on the topic of neo-Nazis on the Störungsmelder (disturbance alarm) website. Both of these projects are supported by an initiative called Gesicht zeigen! (Stand up and be recognized). Eva-Maria Brand from Eisenach, a retired physician, is tirelessly collecting signatures for a referendum. In his spare time Ullrich Schott looks after the brothers and sisters of a terminally ill child as a member of the children’s hospice service in Unna. Edith Schulz practises reading with migrant children from a primary school in Frankfurt am Main every week. Karin and Carlo Giersch support the scientific work at Darmstadt University of Technologie with millions of euros earned from their business. These are six people who contribute time, ideas, and empathy, but also money and their prominence to good causes. They do it free of charge, because they want to change something, because they want to support something worthwhile, or simply because they enjoy what they are doing.
Between state and marketplace
They are six of the 23 million people in Germany who are involved in civil society, be it in the social sphere, in environmental protection or in interest groups. Civil society, citizen involvement, honorary posts – whichever name you choose for this voluntary participation, it covers a broad spectrum: it ranges from being a coach in a sports club through involvement in a church community to work with a non-governmental organization (NGO) and corporate citizenship, the active involvement of companies in civil society. The scientist Helmut Anheier, who is a sociology professor at Heidelberg University, defines civil society as “a society’s capacity to organize itself – independent of the state, but not necessarily in opposition to it”. Civil society is seen as a force located between the state and the marketplace, and for this reason it is also called the “third sector”. It includes the globalization critics from Attac just as much as the millionaire who establishes a foundation.
Figures relating to citizen involvement in Germany were presented by the Generali insurance company in a study entitled “Engagementatlas 2009” (Involvement Atlas 2009). It states that throughout Germany 34% of the population over 16 years of age is involved in civil society activities, and their working hours are equivalent to the those of 3.2 million full-time employees. The majority of people are involved in the areas of sports, clubs, children and young people and churches. Only 5% are involved in political work and interest groups. In the south and west of the Federal Republic, where people are generally more prosperous, there is greater citizen involvement than in the north or the east. People with higher levels of education are usually more often involved than less educated citizens.
The nature of citizen participation in civil society has changed in recent years: “Involvement has increased,” confirms Rupert Graf Strachwitz, the director of the Maecenata Institute for Philanthropy and Civil Society in Berlin, “but there’s been a shift from the old established, large organizations to the small, young, self-organized groups that can be relatively free of hierarchies.” People tend to involve themselves in a variety of different projects rather than in one and the same organization.
A yardstick of democracy?
Many people view citizen involvement as the elixir and the yardstick of a lively democratic society. But in France, with its strong state structures, civil society plays a relatively insignificant role, yet the democracy functions extremely well. In contrast, citizen involvement traditionally rates highly in the USA. There, citizens organize the social, educational and cultural spheres to a large extent by themselves, because the state does not do it. But also in the Scandinavian countries with their comprehensive welfare states, civil society has a long tradition as a powerful factor, far greater than in southern Europe, for instance. The relationship between democratic legitimation and self-organized involvement is also a topic of debate. Without a doubt, an extremely wealthy foundation or a professionally run NGO can influence the public without having an actual “mandate” to do so. On the other hand, there’s the example of the environmental movements in the 1970s and 1980s which eventually put the topic of ecology onto the political agenda as a result of their tenacity and compelling arguments – and to the advantage of everyone.
Another point of discussion is whether the state relieves itself of too much responsibility through the use of voluntary work, and whether strong private initiatives may even foster the decline of the welfare state. Heribert Prantl, home affairs editor with the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung put it quite forcefully when he wrote: “The state has its duty to fulfil, private involvement is the cure.”
Civilian crisis prevention
The German Federal Government views the development of civil society structures in conflict regions and transition countries as an interministerial responsibility. It supports the values of liberal democracy and human rights as well as civil society processes and processes that promote peace – for example, through its Action Plan on Civilian Crisis Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Post-Conflict Peace-Building. The prerequisites for successful implementation include a strengthening of the forces in society that actively support the non-violent resolution of conflicts. Thus, for example, zivik, a programme funded by the Federal Foreign Office, advises NGOs and supports projects realized in crisis regions. Regional focal points are in Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, in the Middle East and in the Caucasus.
