Daten zum Projekt Soziale Innovation im Bereich Kunst und Kultur in ländlichen Räumen - Interviewtranskripte, Interviewleitfäden, Social Media Analyse

Social innovations are frequently described as the solution for diverse social and environmental challenges and promoters of a sustainable transformation of society. Still, little is known about the why, who and how of the development of social innovation in arts and culture, especially in the countryside. So, we investigated empirically 5 initiatives in structurally lagging rural regions in western Germany which seek to enrich the cultural spectrum of their communities. Among them there is a self-organised politics-and-music festival or a cultural village house with diverse cultural events. We analysed the factors for their success as well as problems of formation and tried do understand which social needs motivated the innovators or those, who are engaged with a socially innovative organisation to get active and gather people around them to get something new and missing going to finally build and vitalize these organisations. Our findings were returned to the initiatives and local community via different knowledge transfer formats (Workshops, Comics, exhibition at local community events). Methods: In order to answer the questions centred around why, who and how of social innovations in arts and culture in rural areas, we use triangulation in research. Firstly, 12 qualitative interviews with members of the 5 initiatives (2-3 each and 30 to 120 minutes long) and local government representatives were held between August and December 2023. Interviews about the effects of one of the initiatives, as a case study, were conducted between January and April 2024. Participant observations at events were made in summer 2024. We then did artistic, creative formats at singular events of the initiatives that shall integrate different materials and media and aim to integrate the perspectives of initiative’s members besides from those interviewed to gain different views on our research topic to critically question our preliminary results. Limitations: The study is limited by the location of the analysed initiatives, which are only located in western districts of Germany. The applicability to other areas therefore needs to be made with caution to the similarities and differences of rural areas. Furthermore, the study is only conducted with qualitative methods. Additionally, only initiators and therefore socially entrepreneurial people were interviewed and no potential or actual users of the initiatives’ offerings. This limits the results to the view from within the initiative and not the outside perception. Statements on the actual effects of the initiatives like numbers of new or not migrated citizens cannot be made, as this would presume another research design. Still, the data shows the subjective importance of the soft location factors for citizens and for local government representatives. And a follow-up case study with one of the initiatives was conducted between January and April 2024. This initiative exists since four decades. Qualitative interviews with founders and younger members shall widen the perspective of social innovations´ implications on the region.