Volunteering and politics: Challenges in local politics

The upcoming European elections this weekend are attracting media and political attention. Somewhat overshadowed by this, local elections are taking place in eight federal states at the same time – in almost all of the eastern German states, but also in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, and Hamburg. How are local politicians there, most of whom work on a voluntary basis, faring? This was already examined in April in a study by the Ruhr University Bochum focusing on mayors.

Almost 60% of the approximately 10,000 German mayors work on a voluntary basis. A major issue for them – as with many voluntary activities – is reconciling this with their main job or profession. They spend an average of around 20 hours on their mayoral duties, with 45% reducing their full-time working hours to do so. Only 21% find it easy to balance their job, voluntary work and family commitments, while the remaining respondents find it difficult sometimes or always.

The mayors surveyed cited bureaucratic and financial hurdles as the main obstacles to their work. In addition, excessive expectations from the community and a negative culture of discussion have a deterrent effect – only 34% of current office holders definitely want to run for re-election. Female and older mayors in particular tend to rule out another term in office.

The authors of the study propose three measures to improve the situation of volunteer mayors: These include improved financial resources, public education about the actual powers of mayors, and offers of help in cases of hate and incitement while in office. Due to their “hinge function” between different political and social levels, the work of volunteer mayors remains essential and requires appropriate support and funding.

We were also interested in these topics:

• Politics and business: The now infamous “Sylt video” also reminds us that companies have a social responsibility. Sara Weber explains why in her Spiegel column (€).

• Home office: Location-independent, digital working has become the norm for many since the beginning of the pandemic. But how do employees establish a presence in the digital space? Researchers at the IAB have investigated this question.

• “Unpaid Care Work”: Greater visibility is the goal of a LinkedIn initiative that officially integrates unpaid care work into resumes. The initiators talk about the background and motivations for this initiative in an interview with t3n.

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