Event Details

23 – 25 November 2016
Akademie Franz Hitze Haus
Münster
Germany

Event Description

The Münster TSI team and the Akademie Franz Hitze Haus organised the conference “Civil Society and the Welfare State” to discuss with TSI stakeholders current challenges TSOs face which arise from a changed welfare state. In the conference, changing actor constellations, strategies and specific organizational fields ranging from sports to housing were debated.

The Third Sector traditionally enjoyed a privileged position as a service provider and was deeply embedded in the institutional design of the welfare state. Against the background of far reaching welfare state reforms, the environment conditions for TSOs have changed substantially. In this context, TSI stakeholders highlighted that social policies increasingly follow a social-investment-logic. On the one hand, this creates new opportunities for TSOs active in areas that have traditionally been neglected by policy makers but now gain crucial importance in preventing social risks which has become a prime social policy goal. On the other hand, demanding reporting obligations, growing competition in emerging social markets and financial constraints of public authorities impose bureaucratic and efficiency pressures on TSOs. As a result, TSOs professionalize their structures and are becoming more business-like.

All together 48 participants took part in the meeting. In particular, the following high-level representatives of third sector networks and agencies will be able to disseminate further and use in practice and in policy debate the TSI findings and final results:

• Dietmar Wiese – Stadtsportbund Münster (director of municipal umbrella association of local sports clubs in Münster);
• Dr. Irene Gerlach,- Forschungszentrum Familienbewusste Personalpolitik (director of the research center for family oriented human resource policy);
• Heinz-Josef Kessmann – Diözesancaritasdirektor Münster (director of a regional welfare association/diocesan Caritas director which is closely affiliated with the Catholic Church);
• Joachim Rock – Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (Welfare Association “German Parity Welfare Association -department head social and European policies”);
• Gabriele Stillger – Freiwilligenakademie Bielefeld-OWL (Director of volunteer academy Bielefeld OWL);
• Dr. Maike Tietjens -Vizepräsidentin des Deutschen Turner-Bundes für Personalentwicklung, Gleichstellung und Frauen; Prorektorin für strategische Personalentwicklung (Vice President of German Gymnastics Federation for Human resource policies, gender equality and women; Vice Rector of the University of Münster for strategic human resource development);
• Henning Scherf – ehemaliger Präsident des Senats und Bürgermeister Bremens, Präsident des Deutschen Chorverbandes, Gründer eines Mehrgenerationenwohnprojektes (former President of the Senate and Mayor of Bremen, President of the German Choir Association, founder of a multi-generational living project).

The Münster TSI team is thankful for the commitment of all the TSI stakeholders that contributed to the conference!