institutions, and coming up with the appropriate translation, had to be overcome. When Prof. Leo Penta illustrated during a training session that IAF organizing is part of the civil society, or the so-called sector,” which is “third separate from state” and market,” confusion arose among the “the “the participants. civil society part of the state?,” one of the participants asked. “Isn’t In Germany, there is a very strong notion of state” and the idea that the “the government is responsible for shaping civil society. Even though, according to the organizers, this social-democratic welfare system is quietly crumbling, many people hold on to the idea that the state is taking care of its citizens. Furthermore, the state seems to be always there. One organizer illustrated this with the parable of the hare and the hedgehog running a race, in which the hedgehog even though slower outsmarts the hare and wins. The hedgehog – – represents the government; you go, government is already there.” “wherever Even in those places, like Schöneweide, that seemed completely abandoned by the government, have a sleeping government, which as soon you want to do “you something, you obviously wake up.” In addition, Germany’s strong welfare system is provided not only by a public or private system, but also by a strong intermediary, non-for-profit sector. Germany has a highly institutionalized third sector, closely tied to the state and the market. The main umbrella associations, such as the Catholic German Caritas Federation (Deutscher Caritasverband), the Service Agency of the Protestant Church in Germany (Diakonisches Werk der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland), the German Red Cross (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz), and the German Welfare Association (Deutscher Partitätischer Wohlfahrtsverband), comprise
institutions, and coming up with the appropriate translation, had to be overcome. When Prof. Leo Penta illustrated during a training session that IAF organizing is part of the civil society, or the so-called “third sector,” which is separate from “the state” and “the market,” confusion arose among the participants. “Isn’t civil society part of the state?,” one of the participants asked. In Germany, there is a very strong notion of “the state” and the idea that the government is responsible for shaping civil society. Even though, according to the organizers, this social-democratic welfare system is quietly crumbling, many people hold on to the idea that the state is taking care of its citizens. Furthermore, the state seems to be always there. One organizer illustrated this with the parable of the hare and the hedgehog running a race, in which the hedgehog – even though slower – outsmarts the hare and wins. The hedgehog represents the government; “wherever you go, government is already there.” Even in those places, like Schöneweide, that seemed completely abandoned by the government, “you have a sleeping government, which as soon you want to do something, you obviously wake up.” In addition, Germany’s strong welfare system is provided not only by a public or private system, but also by a strong intermediary, non-for-profit sector. Germany has a highly institutionalized third sector, closely tied to the state and the market. The main umbrella associations, such as the Catholic German Caritas Federation (Deutscher Caritasverband), the Service Agency of the Protestant Church in Germany (Diakonisches Werk der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland), the German Red Cross (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz), and the German Welfare Association (Deutscher Partitätischer Wohlfahrtsverband), comprise