A league of its own? Local governance, civic engagement and public service provision in German rural areas

Civic engagement has an established place in German local governance arrangements in providing local public services: municipalities and non-governmental organizations often work hand in hand, for example in the areas of child and youth welfare, fire protection or the cultural and sports sector. However, local governance involving civic engagement in rural regions is very different from that in urban contexts in Germany. The conceptual paper contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between local governance and civic engagement in rural areas, focusing on four rural characteristics: (1) a more limited plurality, (2) narrower engagement networks and more traditional actor constellations, (3) smaller local governments and larger task cuts, and (4) greater importance of civic engagement in the provision of local public services. The paper is based on research conducted as part of the "SROI - Social Return on Investment" project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Science and Research (Project website: https://t1p.de/g0in).