Lokale Leistungserbringung im kommunalen Interesse: Revival der Genossenschaft?

Cooperatives are highly active in sectors of municipal service provision. Their activities in this respect are not limited to traditional fields (social, cultural and economic), but can also be observed in innovative new areas such as providing internet access through a nationwide broadband network. Besides this wide range of activities, a variety of different cooperative organisational models exist. Apart from quite a number of general forms of collaboration between citizens, the local economy and municipalities, highly complex models have been formed to provide sufficient control through municipalities. The reasons behind this trend of cooperative service provision are wide spread. Such provision may increase citizen participation and control in certain areas as an alternative to failed attempts at privatisation, but it also maintains a minimum of local infrastructure facilities as a reaction to demographic developments and strained municipal budgets.