Joint Production of Public Services in Shrinking Rural Areas in Germany: Results of Exploratory Research

Abstract

The demographic development in most German rural areas raises major questions for the future of public service provision, especially with regard to the performance of different organisational arrangements and their joint action and governance for achieving publicly-desired outcomes. The international literature on collaborative approaches to public service provision is flourishing. However, little attention has been paid to the contribution of public economy and non-state stakeholders to solve these problems. Facing this gap, the exploratory study aims to analyse and discuss the role that civil society, municipally-owned housing companies and public savings banks play in delivering public services and implementing public policies in shrinking rural areas in Germany. By focusing on the scope, drivers, benefits but also limitations of these arrangements, the study helps us in understanding cautious patterns in this field of research and addresses some lessons and perspectives.