At first glance, innovation capacity is not a topic typically associated with structurally disadvantaged regions. Implementing innovations requires resources that these regions often lack. The InReSo project focused on the question of how regions facing challenges such as depopulation, aging, a shortage of skilled workers, and declining infrastructure can successfully meet innovation requirements. The project built on the concept of “Social Places” (Kersten/Neu/Vogel 2022): What role do Social Places play in fostering innovation capacity in peripheral regions?
The focus was on social innovations, defined as behavioral changes that enable people to solve a problem more effectively and that are therefore sustained. For example, when committed individuals come together to form an initiative that improves access to food, transportation, or educational opportunities, this can be considered a social innovation in a specific location.
The InReSo project specifically examined the following questions: What innovative initiatives can currently be found in rural areas? How are they organized, and how do they operate? What challenges do they face? What do they contribute to their local communities, and how do they transform them? How innovative are they in terms of their working methods and offerings, and can their approaches be replicated in other locations? In line with the “Social Places” concept, another focus was on local actors: What specific contributions do they make, and what are their motivations and potential? We examined these actors primarily from a sectoral perspective that distinguishes between organized or informal civil society, the state/local government, and the (local) economy.
The project chose a qualitative approach based on case studies. A total of 14 civic initiatives were selected in various structurally weak regions in eastern and western Germany. The areas of activity of the initiatives examined varied widely: education and culture, maintenance of public spaces, food supply, mobility, and ecology. This selection served to identify commonalities across the specific characteristics of individual sectors.
It became clear that these initiatives not only have a positive impact through their practical work on the ground, but also generate new momentum that extends beyond the region. This is due in no small part to the high level of expertise and motivation among individuals in local civil society. The initiatives make creative use of locally available resources and are themselves an expression of the vitality of structurally weak regions. The value of such initiatives lies not only in their contribution to rural regional development but also in the fact that they foster interpersonal encounters and create opportunities for democratic dialogue.
- Austauschveranstaltung zu bürgerschaftlichen Initiativen im Dorfgemeinschaftshaus
22.05.2025
Das Forschungsprojekt „Soziale Orte als Innovationsressource. Wie Zukunft in ländlichen Räumen entsteht!“ (InReSo) untersucht innovative, bürgerschaftlich getragene Initiativen im strukturschwachen ländlichen Raum. Es fragt, wie Akteure aus Zivilgesellschaft, Verwaltung und lokaler Wirtschaft zusammenarbeiten, um dem Mangel innovative Lösungen entgegenzusetzen.
