Professor Anheier, your book the International Encyclopedia of Civil Society will be published in November 2009. What will it tell us about German civil society?
It has a great deal to say about the different facets of civil society in Germany, for instance, the principle of subsidiarity which determines how the roles of society and the state are interlinked. This principle of handling public assignments in a decentralized way exists in very few other countries in this form. Civil society has also developed differently in Germany. In the USA care was taken from the very beginning to maintain distance from the state in favour of creating a stronger local society which often found itself contradicting the concentration of power in Washington. The opposite model tended to develop in France. Following the revolution of 1789 power concentrated in Paris. And it has remained like that to this day. Germany represents a middle course between these two models. Civil society here developed relatively recently with the rise of Prussia and returned to developing harmoniously in the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II.
Where does German civil society stand in an international comparison, for instance, with the USA?
The United States is often seen as a role model as far as civil society involvement is concerned. But Germany is not so far away from the way things work in the USA. Although there is a greater degree of involvement in the United States, it has much to do with the fact that strong religious beliefs are more widespread there. In contrast, there has been an interesting and positive development in Germany over the past ten years or so. Politics has been increasingly promoting citizen participation, voluntary work and honorary positions. All of the major parties agree on this.
You are scientific director of the Heidelberg Centre for Social Investment and Innovation where you do research into the relationship between the state, the economy and the third sector. How strongly do the three pillars of society depend on each other?
Very strongly indeed. About ten to fifteen years ago, the whole area of civil society was hardly being addressed at all. People focused on the role of the state or the economic sector. The existence of a third sector was very slow to enter the awareness of politicians and social scientists. We deliberately chose the term “social investment” for our research centre rather than “civil society”. Why? Because we are interested in how societies where the state places greater emphasis on citizens’ own responsibility invest in their own future. Who will be looking to the future and paying attention to the common good in Germany in 2030? This is the question we would like to answer.
The call for greater individual responsibility can be heard not only in Germany. Throughout the world globalization is putting societies under massive pressure. Seen in this context, which role does civil society play in the globalized world?
The trend shows that the civil societies – and especially the non-governmental organizations – of individual states are increasingly creating networks with each other. Cooperation between civil society and transnational government agencies is also becoming much closer. It is almost impossible for national state institutions to solve the issues facing the globalized world on their own. We are currently experiencing this in the financial crisis. Environmental protection is another good example. As an institution the United Nations is also often too weak. This is where civil society acquires a central role. To give an example: the Berlin non-governmental organization Transparency International, which is dedicated to combating corruption, has already contributed significantly towards creating greater transparency in governments and increasing the pressure on corrupt states.
You have used the term “social investment” for people’s involvement in civil society. What level of “interest” does this yield for the common good?
The yield can be seen in the fact that it is virtually impossible to imagine what things would be like without the level of involvement that is now being endowed in society. Think about your local park; think about the work of your sports club. Who is going to tend the park grounds or train the footballers? The state can do it, but citizens have to pay taxes for that. The market can do it, but that means paying fees to the service sector. Or the people take it into their own hands. The “interest”, or rather the sociological sense, lies in the fact that a community develops around a common, shared project. This is very valuable to a free society such as ours.
Interview: Rainer Stumpf
Professor Dr.Helmut K. Anheier
Professor Anheier teaches sociology at the University of Heidelberg and is scientific director of the Centre for Social Investment and Innovation. He is also professor at the University of California in the USA. His main areas of interest are civil society and the non-profit sector.
