Demokratie und Wohlfahrtspflege

In current everyday debates in Germany, many people are increasingly experiencing feelings of injustice, disadvantage and dependence. In the political sphere, these feelings are being taken up by populists and turned against democratic structures and processes. The large, independent charitable organisations in Germany (‘Freie Wohlfahrtspflege’), as a ‘pillar of the welfare state’ and an organisational structure with over 120,000 facilities and services and about 1.7 million employees, has direct contact with people throughout the country and especially with the disadvantaged. This also results in a responsibility for society and for democracy in Germany. How will the country live up to this responsibility? What are good examples, what can and should be optimised?With contributions by Holger Backhaus-Maul | Thomas Becker | Rabea Bieckmann | Anselm Böhmer | Rolf Frankenberger | Franziska Giffey | Natascha D. Gillenberg | Ingo Grastorf | Martina Haag | Rolf G. Heinze | Lukas Heller | Sabine Hering | Konrad Hummel | Manfred Kappeler | Wolfgang Kleemann | Ansgar Klein | Mehmet Koc | Maria Loheide | Patrick Oehler | Reiner Prölß | Brigitte Reiser | Dieter Rosner | Aida Roumer | Bernd Schlüter | Wolfgang Schroeder | Martin Seeleib-Kaiser | Wolfgang Stadler | Anke Strube | Gerhard Timm | Eva M. Welskop-Deffaa