M. Sc. Manfred Klaus

Requirements for social services of general interest from the view of the citizens of Brandenburg - investigations of the areas of school education, local supply as well as culture and recreation

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Motivation

Equivalent living conditions and the provision of social services of general interest are aims of the Federal Republic of Germany. Services of general interest are defined as the provision of essential goods and services. The service can be provided by the public sector, the private sector or civil society, although in the last two decades there has been a shift towards the citizen.
Challenges for services of general interest are demographic change, precarious municipal finances and economic globalisation. For example, the peripheral rural regions in the north and south of the federal state of Brandenburg are subject to population decline and ageing, while the population in Berlin's suburbs is growing. In addition, structural change threatens the economic and financial sustainability of the systems.
Adaptation to current and future conditions is indispensable, while maintaining liveable spaces. A certain quality of life could be defined by minimum standards.

Current state of research

Minimum standards for Brandenburg's state and regional planning are rare. However, individual standards can be determined with the help of accessibility targets for middle centres (usually 30 min, max. 45 min) and the characterisation of particularly important types of facilities.
Explicit requirements for services of general interest define individual special fields, such as the health and education sectors. Connections to the needs and expectations of citizens are identifiable in health care; standards in the school sector are based on political determinations. Open areas are local supply and the cultural and leisure sector.
In science, the focus has so far been on the state approach. Only a study by the University of Rostock in 2006 in the community of Galenbeck (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), a study by the State of Saxony in Saxony's 22 villages in 2006 and 2007, and 23 guided interviews in 2015 in the local region of Kirchfeld (Lower Saxony) as part of a dissertation by Ms Marit Schröder form the basis.

Research questions

What are people's needs for services of general interest in the three areas of school education, culture and leisure, and local supply?
What could be the minimum standards for services of general interest in the three areas?
Do minimum standards of services of general interest allow and/or require different standards?

Methodology

There are no available data to answer the research questions, so they have to be collected by means of a survey. This quantitative research approach is to be supplemented with a qualitative preliminary study. The aim of this is to develop a questionnaire for the main study. A follow-up study will check the results of the survey for their feasibility.