The network function of civil society organizations in times of the COVID-19 pandemic – or how engagement as a practice of solidarity becomes market-relevant

Abstract

When political actors mandate the use of protective masks or makeshift masks in public, and these products are scarce on the market, local engagement-promoting organizations arrange their procurement independently. Taking on the responsibility of serving the local need for makeshift masks is based on the engagement of the citizens: as resource contributors and sewers they follow the call of community foundations, for example, to produce masks as a way of practicing solidarity with local actors. Through the 'netnographic' access to and a network-analytical perspective on self-presentations of community foundations, the present article deals with the question of how these foundations organize the production and provision of the product 'makeshift mask'. Conclusions are (1) that the network function of the local organizations of civil society with regard to the operation and fulfillment of the need for makeshift masks is central and (2) that voluntaryand solidaritybased engagement gains market-relevance through the production of a 'valuable' product. At the same time, however, solidarity as a basis for action is fragile because it arises from the active engagement of citizens, which also rests on the expectations of reciprocity.