Potential and Impediments to Senior Citizens’ Volunteering to Maintain Basic Services in Shrinking Regions

Abstract

Against the background of demographic change and municipal austerity, policy‐makers are evoking the crucial role that younger retirees could play in supplementing the provision of basic services through volunteering. This article ties into this discussion, critically questioning the potential of (younger) senior citizens’ volunteering as a way of maintaining basic services in shrinking regions. Qualitative interviews from two regional case studies in rural Germany provide insights into the motivations, forms and contexts of such volunteering. The empirical results show that the potential for basic service provision is limited. Key players engaged in multiple activities and more‐passive types of contact‐seekers have little interest in taking on further tasks. Traditional basic services do not fit in with the interests of potential volunteers, and time budgets are constrained by alternative activities and commitments. Furthermore, volunteering is hampered by very basic structural conditions of peripheral rural life. Overall, our results reflect the heterogeneity and diversity of (older) rural milieus and lifestyles, and challenge persistent scientific perceptions of rural and, especially, village populations as place‐based closely knit communities.

Coordination of village plans and municipal rural and health policies ‐ Can low‐hanging fruit be picked?

“…Thuesen and Rasmussen (2015) also conclude that considerable hidden and uncoordinated co‐production has already occurred in Danish rural areas through existing voluntary work and citizen initiatives. This point is similarly reflected in recent work by Mettenberger and Küpper (2019, p. 742) and Munoz et al . (2014) in relation to volunteering by elderly rural populations in Germany and Scotland.…”

How Age and Gender Affect the Opinions of Computing Students Regarding Computer Usage and Design Needs

“…Some researchers have shown that these stereotypes of older people with respect to technology are not accurate [9,12]. These biases can have an impact in practice, as communities may not welcome older people, fearing that they will be a burden, when in reality older people can make contributions, e.g., through spending and working as volunteers [39]. Certainly, some skills they have gained may no longer be relevant or valued; for example, being able to use a slide rule is less valued now that calculators are included on most smartphones.…”

Stable Mobilities and Mobile Stabilities in Rural Estonian Communities

“…closing schools or renovating local roads), can shape social relations and everyday mobility practices and vice versa: mobilities shape and mould the landscape around the community. The new mobility paradigm helped to bring forth the role of personal biographies and life stages in community dynamics (Mettenberger & Küpper, 2019), but also how the changing socio-political situation can shape choices on both personal and community levels (Coulter et al, 2016).…”

“…The theorists discussing the decreasing importance of social ties commonly refer to urbanized society and describe an urban life style, wherein the individual is anonymous and isolated from the whole without meaningful community relationships (Blackshaw, 2010, p. 98). As urban environments are increasingly becoming anonymous (Bauman 2001), the 'real' community is often imagined to exist particularly in rural areas as 'the rural' has been commonly depicted as a haven of traditional values and close-knit communities (Woods, 2011;Mettenberger & Küpper, 2019;Nugin 2018).…”

“…Rural community mobilities have been examined previously from a pragmatic and strategic perspective, for instance through accessibility (Delbosc & Currie, 2011), community involvement (Mettenber & Küpper, 2019), or social innovation (Bossuet, 2006). Less attention has been paid to how mobile lifestyles empower or mobilize communities and which mobility practices contribute to rural community persistence (cf Milbourne & Kitchen, 2014;Mettenberger and Küpper, 2019). This article aims to fill this gap by analyzing how mobilities shape and are shaped by community relations.…”