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The digitization has permeated almost all aspects of an individual’s life. In the work context as well as in the private sphere, one readily encounters and relies on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), such as Social Networking Sites (SNS), smartphones and so forth. By communicating with as well as obtaining information via such technologies, ICTs engage one’s mind as interaction happens. This interaction of ICTs and the human mind form the focal topic of this thesis. Within this thesis, the human mind is represented on behalf of a facilitated model comprising a perceptual, a cognitive and a motor subsystem. ICTs represent an external stimulus, which triggers the human mind's perceptual subsystem, the cognitive subsystem and eventually leads to a motoric response via the motor subsystem. The external stimulus causing this event chain is within this thesis an ICT. The digital environment and related ICTs are high attention environments offering large and easily accessible amounts of information. Not surprisingly, issues may arise, when the human mind deals with ICTs. Thus, the interplay between ICTs and the human mind entails downsides. This thesis investigates these downsides and in addition the ICT-based factors that cause these downsides. More specifically, the thesis investigates these two aspects as research questions in the context of SNSs as well as other ICTs (such as smartphones, e-learning etc.). Addressing the research questions, 8 articles are submitted within this thesis which address the topic with different methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods as well as systematic literature reviews. Article 1 investigates factors that lead to SNS fatigue and discontinuance intentions in a mixed-methods design. Article 2 explores if certain factors encountered on a newsfeed hamper sensemaking. Article 3 proposes a study design to explore the link between disorderly perceptions of a SNSs newsfeed and gender stereotype activations. Article 4 considers the interplay between users and algorithms via the newsfeed interface and the implications for relevance perceptions. Article 5 explores information acquisition, hampering factors and verification strategies of social media users. Article 6 systematically reviews addiction scales of various ICTs. Article 7 investigates click behavior in e-learning contexts and how this is linked to cultural and personality traits. Finally, article 8 offers a comprehensive overview of the antecedents and consequences of children’s smartphone usage. Within the specific context of SNSs, the thesis suggests that the cognitive tolls imposed on users’ minds cause adverse effects, such as impaired sensemaking, fatigue, stereotype activation as well as intentions to discontinue the service. Other ICTs lead to addiction, and i.e., smartphones evidence to cause cognitive impairments in children. Factors on the ICT side that promote these adverse effects are linked to specific features, such as the newsfeed for SNSs and entail overload or perceptions of disorder. The thesis adds theoretically to the understanding of downsides that arise from the interplay between human minds and ICTs. Especially, the context of SNSs is spotlighted and insights add to the growing body of literature on experiences and perceptions. For instance, one study’s result suggests that considering information organization is as important as merely decreasing overload perceptions from the users in countering adverse effects of SNS usage. Practically, the thesis emphasizes the importance of mindful interaction with ICTs. Future research is welcome to build on the exploratory investigations and may draw an even more holistic picture to enhance the interaction between ICTs and the human mind.
Fördermittelfinanzierte Gründungsunterstützungsangebote waren in den EU-Förderperioden 2007-2013 und 2014-2020 ein wichtiges Element der Hochschulgründungsförderung im Land Brandenburg. Aufgrund der positiven wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung des Landes, reduzierte sich das Fördervolumen in der gleichen Zeit jedoch stetig. Für die EU-Förderperiode 2021-2027 steht eine weitere Reduzierung der Fördermittel bereits fest. In der Folge wird es, ohne Anpassungen der etablierten Förderstrukturen, zur weiteren Reduzierung oder Erosion der Gründungsunterstützungsangebote an Brandenburger Hochschulen kommen. Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich daher u.a. mit der Frage, wie ein theoretisches Referenzmodell zur fördermittelfinanzierten Hochschulgründungsberatung gestaltet sein kann, um den reduzierten Fördersätzen bei gleichzeitiger Aufrechterhaltung der Angebotsvielfalt gerecht zu werden.
Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage wird als Untersuchungsobjekt das Förderprojekt BIEM Startup Navigator herangezogen. Das Gründungsberatungsprojekt BIEM Startup Navigator wurde von 2010 bis 2014 an sechs Brandenburger Hochschulen durchgeführt. Mit Hilfe der Modelle und Prämissen der Prinzipal-Agent-Theorie wird zunächst ein theoretischer Rahmen aufgespannt, auf dessen Grundlage die empirische Untersuchung erfolgt. Anhand der Prinzipal-Agent-Theorie werden die beteiligten Organisationen, Individuen und Institutionen aufgezeigt. Weiterhin werden die wesentlichen Problemfelder und Lösungsansätze der Prinzipal-Agent-Theorie für die Untersuchung des BIEM Startup Navigators diskutiert.
Im Untersuchungsverlauf werden u.a. die Konzepte zur Durchführung des Förderprojekts an sechs Hochschulstandorten, die Daten von 610 Teilnehmenden und 288 Gründungen analysiert, um so sachlogische Zusammenhänge und Wechselwirkungen identifizieren und beschreiben zu können. Es werden unterschiedliche theoretische Annahmen zu den Bereichen Projekteffektivität bzw. Projekteffizienz, Kostenverteilung und zur konzeptionellen Ausgestaltung in Form von 24 Arbeitshypothesen formuliert und auf die Untersuchung übertragen. Die Verifizierung bzw. Falsifizierung der Hypothesen erfolgt auf Grundlage der kombinierten Erkenntnisse aus Literaturrecherchen und den Ergebnissen der empirischen Untersuchung.
Im Verlauf der Arbeit gelingt es, die in der Prinzipal-Agent-Theorie auftretenden Agencykosten auch am Beispiel des BIEM Startup Navigators zu beschreiben und ex post Ineffizienzen in den durchgeführten Screening- und Signalingprozessen aufzuzeigen.
Mit Hilfe des im Verlauf der Arbeit entwickelten theoretischen Referenzmodells zur fördermittelfinanzierten Gründungsberatung an Brandenburger Hochschulen soll es gelingen, den sinkenden EU-Fördermitteln, ohne eine gleichzeitige Reduzierung der Gründungsunterstützungsangebote an den Hochschulen, gerecht zu werden. Hierfür zeigt das theoretische Referenzmodell wie die Ergebnisse der empirischen Untersuchung genutzt werden können, um die Agencykosten der fördermittelfinanzierten Gründungsberatung zu reduzieren.
In the debate on how to govern sustainable development, a central question concerns the interaction between knowledge about sustainability and policy developments. The discourse on what constitutes sustainable development conflict on some of the most basic issues, including the proper definitions, instruments and indicators of what should be ‘developed’ or ‘sustained’. Whereas earlier research on the role of (scientific) knowledge in policy adopted a rationalist-positivist view of knowledge as the basis for ‘evidence-based policy making’, recent literature on knowledge creation and transfer processes has instead pointed towards aspects of knowledge-policy ‘co-production’ (Jasanoff 2004). It is highlighted that knowledge utilisation is not just a matter of the quality of the knowledge as such, but a question of which knowledge fits with the institutional context and dominant power structures. Just as knowledge supports and justifies certain policy, policy can produce and stabilise certain knowledge. Moreover, rather than viewing knowledge-policy interaction as a linear and uni-directional model, this conceptualization is based on an assumption of the policy process as being more anarchic and unpredictable, something Cohen, March and Olsen (1972) has famously termed the ‘garbage-can model’.
The present dissertation focuses on the interplay between knowledge and policy in sustainability governance. It takes stock with the practice of ‘Management by Objectives and Results’ (MBOR: Lundqvist 2004) whereby policy actors define sustainable development goals (based on certain knowledge) and are expected to let these definitions guide policy developments as well as evaluate whether sustainability improves or not. As such a knowledge-policy instrument, Sustainability Indicators (SI:s) help both (subjectively) construct ‘social meaning’ about sustainability and (objectively) influence policy and measure its success. The different articles in this cumulative dissertation analyse the development, implementation and policy support (personal and institutional) of Sustainability Indicators as an instrument for MBOR in a variety of settings. More specifically, the articles centre on the question of how sustainability definitions and measurement tools on the one hand (knowledge) and policy instruments and political power structures on the other, are co-produced.
A first article examines the normative foundations of popular international SI:s and country rankings. Combining theoretical (constructivist) analysis with factor analysis, it analyses how the input variable structure of SI:s are related to different sustainability paradigms, producing a different output in terms of which countries (developed versus developing) are most highly ranked. Such a theoretical input-output analysis points towards a potential problem of SI:s becoming a sort of ‘circular argumentation constructs’. The article thus, highlights on a quantitative basis what others have noted qualitatively – that different definitions and interpretations of sustainability influence indicator output to the point of contradiction. The normative aspects of SI:s does thereby not merely concern the question of which indicators to use for what purposes, but also the more fundamental question of how normative and political bias are intrinsically a part of the measurement instrument as such. The study argues that, although no indicator can be expected to tell the sustainability ‘truth-out-there’, a theoretical localization of indicators – and of the input variable structure – may help facilitate interpretation of SI output and the choice of which indicators to use for what (policy or academic) purpose.
A second article examines the co-production of knowledge and policy in German sustainability governance. It focuses on the German sustainability strategy ‘Perspektiven für Deutschland’ (2002), a strategy that stands out both in an international comparison of national sustainability strategies as well as among German government policy strategies because of its relative stability over five consecutive government constellations, its rather high status and increasingly coercive nature. The study analyses what impact the sustainability strategy has had on the policy process between 2002 and 2015, in terms of defining problems and shaping policy processes. Contrasting rationalist and constructivist perspectives on the role of knowledge in policy, two factors, namely the level of (scientific and political) consensus about policy goals and the ‘contextual fit’ of problem definitions, are found to be main factors explaining how different aspects of the strategy is used. Moreover, the study argues that SI:s are part of a continuous process of ‘structuring’ in which indicator, user and context factors together help structure the sustainability challenge in such a way that it becomes more manageable for government policy.
A third article examines how 31 European countries have built supportive institutions of MBOR between 1992 and 2012. In particular during the 1990s and early 2000s much hope was put into the institutionalisation of Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) as a way to overcome sectoral thinking in sustainability policy making and integrate issues of environmental sustainability into all government policy. However, despite high political backing (FN, EU, OECD), implementation of EPI seems to differ widely among countries. The study is a quantitative longitudinal cross-country comparison of how countries’ ‘EPI architectures’ have developed over time. Moreover, it asks which ‘EPI architectures’ seem to be more effective in producing more ‘stringent’ sustainability policy.
Enacted in 2009, the National Policy on Climate Change (PNMC) is a milestone in the institutionalisation of climate action in Brazil. It sets greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets and a set of principles and directives that are intended to lay the foundations for a cross-sectoral and multilevel climate policy in the country. However, after more than a decade since its establishment, the PNMC has experienced several obstacles related to its governance, such as coordination, planning and implementation issues. All of these issues pose threats to the effectiveness of GHG mitigation actions in the country.
By looking at the intragovernmental and intergovernmental relationships that have taken place during the lifetime of the PNMC and its sectoral plans on agriculture (the Sectoral Plan for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change for the Consolidation of a Low-Carbon Economy in Agriculture [ABC Plan]), transport and urban mobility (the Sectoral Plan for Transportation and Urban Mobility for Mitigation and Adaption of Climate Change [PSTM]), this exploratory qualitative research investigates the Brazilian climate change governance guided by the following relevant questions: how are climate policy arrangements organised and coordinated among governmental actors to mitigate GHG emissions in Brazil? What might be the reasons behind how such arrangements are established? What are the predominant governance gaps of the different GHG mitigation actions examined? Why do these governance gaps occur?
Theoretically grounded in the literature on multilevel governance and coordination of public policies, this study employs a novel analytical framework that aims to identify and discuss the occurrence of four types of governance gaps (i.e. politics, institutions and processes, resources and information) in the three GHG mitigation actions (cases) examined (i.e. the PNMC, ABC Plan and PSTM). The research results are twofold. First, they reveal that Brazil has struggled to organise and coordinate governmental actors from different policy constituencies and different levels of government in the implementation of the GHG mitigation actions examined. Moreover, climate policymaking has mostly been influenced by the Ministry of Environment (MMA) overlooking the multilevel and cross-sectoral approaches required for a country’s climate policy to mitigate and adapt to climate change, especially if it is considered an economy-wide Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), as the Brazilian one is.
Second, the study identifies a greater manifestation of gaps in politics (e.g. lack of political will in supporting climate action), institutions and processes (e.g. failures in the design of institutions and policy instruments, coordination and monitoring flaws, and difficulties in building climate federalism) in all cases studied. It also identifies that there have been important advances in the production of data and information for decision-making and, to a lesser extent, in the allocation of technical and financial resources in the cases studied; however, it is necessary to highlight the limitation of these improvements due to turf wars, a low willingness to share information among federal government players, a reduced volume of financial resources and an unequal distribution of capacities among the federal ministries and among the three levels of government.
A relevant finding is that these gaps tend to be explained by a combination of general and sectoral set aspects. Regarding the general aspects, which are common to all cases examined, the following can be mentioned: i) unbalanced policy capabilities existing among the different levels of government, ii) a limited (bureaucratic) practice to produce a positive coordination mode within cross-sectoral policies, iii) the socioeconomic inequalities that affect the way different governments and economic sectors perceive the climate issue (selective perception) and iv) the reduced dialogue between national and subnational governments on the climate agenda (poor climate federalism). The following sectoral aspects can be mentioned: i) the presence of path dependencies that make the adoption of transformative actions harder and ii) the absence of perceived co-benefits that the climate agenda can bring to each economic sector (e.g. reputational gains, climate protection and access to climate financial markets).
By addressing the theoretical and practical implications of the results, this research provides key insights to tackle the governance gaps identified and to help Brazil pave the way to achieving its NDCs and net-zero targets. At the theoretical level, this research and the current country’s GHG emissions profile suggest that the Brazilian climate policy is embedded in a cross-sectoral and multilevel arena, which requires the effective involvement of different levels of political and bureaucratic powers and the consideration of the country’s socioeconomic differences. Thus, the research argues that future improvements of the Brazilian climate policy and its governance setting must frame climate policy as an economic development agenda, the ramifications of which go beyond the environmental sector. An initial consequence of this new perspective may be a shift in the political and technical leadership from the MMA to the institutions of the centre of government (Executive Office of the President of Brazil) and those in charge of the country’s economic policy (Ministry of Economy). This change could provide greater capacity for coordination, integration and enforcement as well as for addressing certain expected gaps (e.g. financial and technical resources). It could also lead to greater political prioritisation of the agenda at the highest levels of government. Moreover, this shift of the institutional locus could contribute to greater harmonisation between domestic development priorities and international climate politics. Finally, the research also suggests that this approach would reduce bureaucratic elitism currently in place due to climate policy being managed by Brazilian governmental institutions, which is still a theme of a few ministries and a reason for the occurrence of turf wars.
Each year, donor countries spend billions of Euros on development cooperation. Not surprisingly, a large strand of research has emerged which examines the impact of development cooperation. A sub-discipline within this strand of the literature deals with the question of whether the impact or effectiveness of development cooperation depends on the quality of the recipient country's policy and institutional environment. Over hundreds of studies have assessed this question at the macro level. In so doing, most of these studies test whether a potential effect of aid on the growth of a recipient country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is conditional on the country's policy and institutional environment. However, even after decades of research and hundreds of studies, no conclusive result has been found. One of the main reasons for the inconclusive state of the literature is that most macro-level studies have to deal with a high risk of endogeneity, treat aid as nothing but a pure income transfer, and rely on low-quality GDP data. To solve these three methodical issues, some authors have started to change the analytical focus from the macro to the micro level. Thus, these authors assess the determinants for the performance of individual development projects instead of the determinants for an effect of aid on GDP. Yet, even though the number of studies focusing on the micro level has increased steadily over the last few years, the state of the literature on the determinants for the performance of development projects still contains multiple highly relevant research gaps. The present thesis seeks to address three of these research gaps. The first research gap addressed by this thesis is related to the specific type of development cooperation. So far, nearly all existing studies focus on projects by Multilateral Development Banks. Research on the determinants for the performance of bilateral development projects is still rare. Thus, even though donors pledge to implement effective development projects, there are hardly any micro-level studies on bilateral projects. So far, only three studies use a sample which includes bilateral projects. Yet, none of the three studies assess the determinants for the performance of bilateral technical development projects. The first paper in the present thesis (GIZ paper) seeks to address this research gap by assessing the determinants for the performance of projects by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a bilateral state-owned aid agency active in the area of technical cooperation. The results of the paper indicate that some but not all of the existing theoretical arguments can be extended to bilateral technical projects as well.. For example, the level of market interventions in the recipient county only affects the performance of financial development projects, while the recipient country’s government capacity affects both technical and financial development projects. The paper also indicates that effects of determinants may vary among project sectors. The paper also highlights a dilemma of technical development cooperation. The countries with low government capacity are usually the ones most in need of technical cooperation projects. But, at the same time, they are also the countries in which these projects have the poorest performance The second research gap addressed by this thesis is related to one specific factor in the policy and institutional environment of recipient countries, namely corruption. This determinant is often cited as essential for project performance but has gained surprisingly little coverage in empirical studies. The few existing studies on the effect of corruption on project performance are inconclusive. Some find a statistically significant correlation, while others do not. Furthermore, so far, all existing studies use corruption perception indices as a measurement for corruption, despite the fact that these indices have well-known deficits when it comes to this research topic. One of these deficits is that such indices do not distinguish between different forms of corruption, even though it is likely that the effect of corruption will vary depending on the type of development project and form of corruption. The second paper in this thesis (Corruption paper) seeks to address this inconclusive state of the research while focusing on one specific form of corruption, namely bribery between private firms and public officials. The paper finds a small but statistically significant correlation between the corruption level and the performance of World Bank projects. The systematic effect of corruption on project performance confirms the need to consider the risk of corruption in the design and during the implementation of projects. Nonetheless, the relatively small effect of corruption and the low pseudo R-squareds advise not to overestimate the relevance of corruption for project performance. At least for the project level, the paper finds no indication that corruption is a primary obstacle to aid effectiveness. The third research gap addressed by this thesis is related to one specific sample, namely recipient countries of the International Development Association (IDA). The question of whether the policy and institutional environment affects project performance is of particular relevance for these countries, given that the World Bank's ratings on a country's policy and institutional environment decide how much IDA resources it receives. One core justification of such an allocation system is that it helps to steer more resources to places where they are most effective. However, so far, there is no conclusive empirical evidence for this statement. The only study specifically focusing on this topic, a study by the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank from 2010, has essential methodological limitations. The third paper of this thesis (CPR paper) seeks to address this research gap by testing whether a more refined analysis confirms the assumption of previous studies that the policy and institutional environment of IDA-recipient countries, measured by the Country Policy and Institutional Assessment ratings, has an effect on the performance of World Bank projects. Overall, neither the main regression models nor any of the robustness tests indicate a substantial correlation between the policy and institutional environment and project performance. Only for Investments Loans is the coefficient large enough to assume some effect. The overall results not only contradict the results of previous studies, but also raise strong doubts around one of the core justifications for the allocation system of the IDA. All three papers rely on a statistical large-N analysis of the performance ratings of individual development projects. These ratings are usually assigned based on the final evaluation of a project and indicate the merit or worth of an activity. The merit or worth of an activity itself is measured by criteria like relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency. In the case of the two papers on World Bank projects, the needed data stem from different databases of the World Bank. The relevant data for the GIZ paper are gathered from internal evaluation reports of the GIZ. Logistic regressions are applied as the main analytical tool. Overall, the three papers show that the policy and institutional environment of recipient countries matters for project performance, but only to a small degree and under certain circumstances. This result highlights that many researchers and practitioners tend to overestimate the role that the policy and institutional environment of recipient countries plays in project performance. Furthermore, the thesis shows that authors of future studies should consider possible interactions between project- and country-level determinants whenever possible, both in their theoretical arguments and statistical models. Otherwise, the debate on the determinants for project performance is at risk of degenerating into a statistics tournament without any connection to reality.
Alexandra Silbermann entwickelt einen neuartigen, systematischen Ansatz, der eine ganzheitliche Analyse und Erklärung des Bewusstseins für einen gesunden Konsum zulässt und die Identifikation bedeutender Einflussfaktoren, die für Maßnahmen zugänglich sind, ermöglicht. Ohne fundierte Kenntnisse der kognitiven Prozesse, die dem gesundheitsbewussten Konsumentenverhalten zugrunde liegen, können Marketing- bzw. Interventionsmaßnahmen nur begrenzt wirkungsvoll sein. Die Autorin leitet Implikationen für eine effizientere Förderung gesundheitsbewussten Konsums ab. Die Systematisierung ist über den Gesundheitsbezug hinaus einsetzbar. Der Inhalt Arten des Bewusstseins als Systematisierungsansatz zentraler sozial-kognitiver Konstrukte der Verhaltensforschung Theoretische Darstellung der Determinanten gesundheitsbewussten Konsumentenverhaltens Empirische Prüfung des Modells zur Erklärung gesundheitsbewussten Konsumentenverhaltens Diskussion der Einflussfaktoren und deren Beziehungsstrukturen Implikationen für Marketingwissenschaft und -management Die Zielgruppen Dozierende und Studierende der Wirtschafts-, Sozial- und Gesundheitswissenschaften mit den Schwerpunkten Konsumentenverhalten, Marktforschung sowie präventive Gesundheitsförderung Praktiker in Marketing und Marktforschung bei Anbietern von Konsumgütern und in der präventiven Gesundheitsförderung Die AutorIn Alexandra Silbermann ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin an der Universität Potsdam bei Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ingo Balderjahn am Lehrstuhl für Marketing I.
Diese Arbeit untersucht, was passiert, wenn in Non-Profit-Organisation (NPO) der Anspruch des Bürgerschaftlichen Engagements auf Praktiken des Freiwilligenmanagements trifft. Ausgangspunkt dieser Fragestellung ist eine doppelte Diagnose: Zum einen setzen NPOs aufgrund mehrerer Faktoren - u.a. Ressourcenknappheit, Wettbewerb und Nachahmungseffekten – vermehrt auf Freiwilligenmanagement. Mit dieser von der BWL inspirierten, aber für NPO entwickelten Personalführungsmethode wollen sie mehr und bessere Freiwillige gewinnen und deren Einsatz effizienter strukturieren. Zum anderen haben sich gleichzeitig viele NPO dem Ziel des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements verschrieben. Damit reagieren sie auf den aus Politik und Wissenschaft zu vernehmenden Anspruch, die Zivilgesellschaft möge die knappen Kassen der öffentlichen Hand kompensieren und das wachsende Partizipationsbedürfnis weiter Teile der Bevölkerung durch eine neue Kultur der Teilhabe der Bürgerinnen und Bürger befriedigen. Bei näherer Betrachtung zeigt sich jedoch: Während Freiwilligenmanagement einer ökonomischen Handlungslogik folgt, ist bürgerschaftliches Engagement Ausdruck einer Handlungslogik der Zivilgesellschaft. Beide sind unter gegenwärtigen Bedingungen weder theoretisch noch praktisch miteinander vereinbar. Um beide Entwicklungen miteinander zu versöhnen, muss Freiwilligenmanagement unter dem Banner des Bürgerschaftlichen neu gedacht werden. Dieses Argument unterfüttert die Arbeit sowohl theoretisch und empirisch. Der Theorieteil gliedert sich in drei Teile. Zunächst wird der Begriff der NPO näher eingegrenzt. Dazu wird die bestehende Literatur zum Dritten Sektor und Non-Profit-Organisationen zu einem operationalisierbaren Begriff von NPO kondensiert. Daran anschließend werden aktuelle Trends im Feld der NPO identifiziert, die zeigen, dass NPO tatsächlich oft von widerstreitenden Handlungslogiken gekennzeichnet sind, darunter eine ökonomische und eine bürgerschaftliche. Die beiden folgenden Kapitel untersuchen dann jeweils eine der beiden Logiken. Zunächst wird das Leitbild des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements als Ausdruck einer zivilgesellschaftlichen Handlungslogik näher definiert. Dabei zeigt sich, dass dieser Begriff oft sehr unscharf verwendet wird. Daher greift die Arbeit auf die politiktheoretische Diskussion um Zivil- und Bürgergesellschaft auf und schmiedet daraus eine qualifizierte Definition von bürgerschaftlichem Engagement, die sich maßgeblich am Ideal von gesellschaftlich-politischer Partizipation und bürgerschaftlicher Kompetenz orientiert. Dem wird im dritten und letzten Kapitel des Theorieteils die ökonomische Handlungslogik in Form der Theorie des Freiwilligenmanagements gegenübergestellt. Bei der Darstellung zeigt sich schnell, dass dessen Grundprinzipien – anders als oft vorgebracht – mit den qualifizierten Idealen von Partizipation und Konkurrenz im Konflikt stehen. In der empirischen Analyse wird dann in den 8 Interviews den Widersprüchen zwischen bürgerschaftlichem Engagement und Freiwilligenmanagement in der Praxis nachgegangen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung lassen sich in 5 Punkten zusammenfassen: 1. Freiwilligenmanagement orientiert sich erstens im wesentlichen an einer Zahl: Dem Zugewinn oder Verlust von freiwilliger Arbeit. 2. Freiwilligenmanagement installiert ein umfassendes System der Selektion von „passenden“ Freiwilligen. 3. Positiv hervorzuheben ist die institutionalisierte Ansprechbarkeit, die im Rahmen von Freiwilligenmanagement in NPO Einzug erhält. 4. Freiwilligenmanagement ist eng mit dem Anspruch verbunden, die Arbeit der Freiwilligen zu kontrollieren. Der Eigensinn des Engagements, die Notwendigkeit von Spielräumen, die Möglichkeit des Ausprobierens oder der Anspruch der Freiwilligen, an Entscheidungen zu partizipieren bzw. gar selbstorganisiert und -verantwortlich zu handeln, rückt dabei in den Hintergrund. 5. In den Interviews wird eine starke Ökonomisierung des Engagements sichtbar. Freiwillige werden als Ressource betrachtet, ihr Engagement als „Zeitspende“ statistisch erfasst, ihre (Dienst-)Leistung monetär bewertet. Im Zuge dessen erhält auch der Managerialism verstärkt Einfluss auf die Arbeit in NPO und begründet ein stark hierarchisches Verhältnis: Während die Freiwilligenmangerin aktiv handelt, wird die freiwillig Engagierte zum Objekt von Management-Techniken. Dass dies dem Anspruch der Partizipation entgegenläuft, ergibt sich dabei von selbst. Angesichts dieser Diagnose, dass real-existierendes Freiwilligenmanagement nicht mit dem Ideal des bürgerschaftlichen Engagement im engeren Sinne zusammenpasst, formuliert das Fazit Vorschläge für ein bürgerschaftlich orientiertes, engagement-sensibles Freiwilligenmanagement.
Was bewegt Menschen dazu, freiwillig in einem Krieg zu kämpfen, obwohl ihr Heimatland nicht involviert ist? Warum riskieren sie in Konflikten weltweit ihr Leben für eine fremde Sache? Bedeutet das Fehlen institutioneller Strukturen, die den Akteuren klare Regeln und Verhaltensweisen vorgeben würden, immer eine Eskalation von Gewalt? Diese Studie hilft, das Phänomen freiwilliger Kombattanten zu verstehen. Am Fallbeispiel internationaler Kriegsfreiwilliger, die in den Jugoslawienkriegen der 1990er Jahre auf Seiten Kroatiens kämpften, macht Julia Ludwig zudem den Mehrwert einer Analyse kultureller Faktoren in der Gewaltforschung deutlich.