Congratulations to Dr. Franziska Lengerer on her doctorate!

Her cumulative dissertation, titled “Local community dynamics in an ageing rural region. Residents’ participative practices in space and time,” originated in the international research project “Staying in the rural: contemporary life course related senses of belonging, mobility and rural community participation (STAYin(g)Rural).” The project was conducted between 2018 and 2022 as a collaborative effort of the Thünen Institute of Rural Studies, the University of Groningen and Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland).

In the journal papers which make up the majority of her PhD thesis, Franziska Lengerer explores characteristics, conditions and obstacles to civic engagement in older age. Geographically, her focus is on villages that have been affected by long-term population decline and ageing. Along with the thinning-out in local public services, retired inhabitants are often considered an essential resource for maintaining the quality of life in villages. Franziska Lengerer highlights the diversity of civic engagement in old age as well as existing health and status-related differences, and potential overload and excessive demands. 

Contact: Annett Steinführer