Dossier

Basic service provision between retrenchment, restructuring and expansion

Patrick Küpper | 13.06.2022

LV Institute of Rural Studies

Basic services - these include schools, water pipes, family doctors as well as the firefighters or broadband internet, in short: all the essentials that make up or should make up basic local services. But not everything is available to the same extent and in the same quality in every village or small town.

Schilder als Richtungsweiser in verschiedene Richtungen unter anderem zur Toilette, zu Bus und Bahn und zum Rathaus

With basic services, political decision-makers formulate the claim that the services they perceive as fundamental should be provided area-wide, i.e. at a reasonable distance, and at reasonable prices. Over time, however, these demands change, and so do the fields that are counted as basic services, as well as what is considered as an adequate provision. In addition, the ways in which services are provided are also changing, for example: from public to private, from stationary to mobile, or from analog to digital. In addition to technical innovations, empty public budgets, changing legal frameworks or changing preferences in the population, the aging of the population and declining population particularly in remote, economically weak areas are driving this development.

Providers of basic services are adapting their services to changing conditions. Frequent strategies in the event of resource bottlenecks are restructuring, thinning out or raising fees - schools or stores are closing, opening hours are being reduced, full-time staff are being replaced by volunteers, or wastewater fees are being increased. At the same time, however, expansion and extension also take place in order to attract new user groups, for example, for cultural offerings, to respond to the increasing demand for care for the elderly or to address new technical and social requirements in the digital infrastructure. In particular, the affected population groups also react to deteriorations in services: they limit their use or switch to alternative services, protest against deteriorations, or become active themselves and operate a community store, for example.

In our research work, we trace the changes in the provision of basic services in rural areas. To this end, we determine, for example, the accessibility of the nearest service facility, such as the nearest doctor's office or elementary school. This allows us to identify spatial differences and deficits in supply. We are also interested in how affected citizens evaluate these developments and what strategies they use to cope with supply problems. Finally, we assess how approaches to safeguarding basic service provision can have an impact. For example, we look at community stores and innovative mobility concepts. From our findings, we derive policy recommendations. Current focus areas are: Local supply, medical care and care for the elderly, fire protection and hazard prevention.

Basic services - these include schools, family doctors as well as a broadband internet or the savings bank.

With good frequency, public transportation offers an alternative to your own car.

The village store in Dankerode offers groceries for daily needs.

Rescue, extinguish, recover, protect: In rural areas in Germany, these tasks are usually performed by volunteer firefighters. Equipping them well costs the local authorities a lot of money.

In Königerode, this is not a problem: job and children can be easily combined if there are enough daycare places.

All in one: The multifunctional center combines important contact points such as tourist information, library and municipal office.

Königerode also offers its residents a public library.

Instead of the yellow mailbox, you can already see mailboxes of private service providers in some places.

Expertise

Safeguarding local supply facilities - problems and possible solutions

The store is gone, the children have left home, and the bus doesn't even run during the school vacations - especially for older people in rural areas, local supply can become a problem. In many places, village stores have disappeared from the local landscape, and those who don't have a car find it difficult to get groceries and other necessities. What can be done?

Innovative solutions for rural basic service provision

As rural populations are getting older and smaller, established basic services reach their limits. How can new approaches help?

Thünen erklärt

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Projects

When regions get older and decline in population: adaptation and coping

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For approximately two thirds of the rural population in Germany, local supplies are not accessible within walking distance. Several political initiatives attempt to ensure the provision of local supply. In this research project, we examine trends in local supplies and distil recommendations for strategy building that aim for the maintenance of local supplies.

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