The Legacy of Subsidiarity: The Nonprofit Sector in Germany

Abstract

The concept of a third sector embedded in society and apart from government has not yet developed into an “island of identity” in Germany. The reasons why the idea of a third sector as a part of civil society has not yet been accepted are manifold. Firstly, German society still exhibits remnants of a polarized, even pillarized political culture. The cleavage structures dating back to the 19th century are still somewhat in place, integrating German society vertically along specific religious or ideological lines that are closely linked to the German political parties acting as interfaces between society and politics. Secondly, norms and values play a prominent role in day-to-day political culture. In political theory and discourse the individual citizen, not nonprofit organizations (NPOs) or the third sector as such, represents the target of civic engagement or societal improvement. Finally, in accordance with the specific German tradition of governance, nonprofit organizations operate in a public/societal sphere primarily defined by the state. Therefore, nonprofit organizations providing the infrastructure for leisure and sports activities are by law treated differently from those NPOs that are acting as functional equivalents of public entities and are engaged in, for example, the provision of healthcare and social services. In sum, the German tradition of citizenship combined with the vertical integration of social groups into politics translates into a fragmented third sector, which until now has not developed a self-consciousness that sets it apart from the state.