GDR-Petitions A sunken treasure for Social and Historical Sciences? · 2013-07-23 · 18.07.2013 GDR Petitions – A sunken treasure for Social and Historical Sciences? 2 The contribution

GDR-Petitions – A sunken treasure for Social and Historical Sciences?

Dr. Marian Krawietz Lehrstuhl für Methoden der Empirischen Sozialforschung Komplex 3, Haus 1, Raum 1.23 August-Bebel-Str. 89, 14482 Potsdam E-Mail: [email protected]

18.07.2013 GDR Petitions – A sunken treasure for Social and

Historical Sciences? 1



The contribution is a part of a DFG-project proposal, which Ulrich Kohler and Marian Krawietz are developing at the Chair for Methods in Empirical Sciences in Potsdam. The key question of the contribution is, if GDR-Petitions are a sunken treasure for the Social and Historical Science and if yes, how they can be implemented into nowadays research. 1. Introduction into GDR-Petitions

2. Which research problems could be examined with GDR-Petitions?

3. How to recover petitions` statistics? Introduction to the sample concept. 4. Potential outcomes illustrated via petitions’ statistics of the city county

Potsdam 1969-1989. 5. Summary

Preface



Every citizen had the right to adress petitions to the representation of the people (Constitution of the GDR, Art. 3. paragraph 4 from 1949).

Petitions were an instrument to apply complaints directly to the administrative level.

Communication via petitions on different levels: citizen state citizen nationally-owned enterprises (VEB) institution institution employee employer

From 1953 the administrative practice was formalized, how administration has to deal with petitions. They included rules how to classify incoming petitions

new statistical source: Petitions‘ Statistics.

1. Framework - Material

1.1. Petitions in the former GDR



Controversial discussion about function and value of petitions: on the one hand: efficient instrument for informal conflict accomplishment participatory element in the dictatorial GDR system on the other hand: as instrument to ensure nepotistic relationships miserable supstitute for the disestablished administrative tribunals instrument for dictatorship stabilisation


1.2 The qualitative „caliber“ of petitions (I)



Beyond all dispute

Nearly every second full ager in the GDR wrote one petition in his life time.

petitions are a source of extreme wide range

Petitions are close to real life experience. They express benchmarks of an expected life normality.

petitions as an indicator of life quality

Express a petition can be interpret as an act of „rational choice“ compatibility to actual theoretical approaches


1.2 The qualitative „caliber“ of petitions (II)



original petitions are mostly deleted (kassiert)

exceptional special stocks (not part of the project) petitions to the secret police (placed in BStU) petitions to the privy council (Staatsraat 1985-1990) petitions to the council of ministers (Ministerrat)

no existing basic population of original petitions, which could be used for a sample concept.

During research, we found the above mentioned interesting source Petitions‘ Statistics.


1.3 Situation in the Archives



petitions` statistics were a governmental instrument to classify and count incoming petitions

the classification contained e.g.: energy, living conditions, leisure time, environment protection, agriculture, forestry, traffic and news

on the basis of these categories monthly and yearly statistical reports were published for intern purpose on all administrative levels

The original (and mostly deleted) petitions we find today as classified groups in the Petitions‘ Statistics .

Advantageous situation in the archives: Petitions‘ statistics can be found nearly completely in the Eastern German district and/or national archives.


1.4 Petitions‘ Statistics (I)



less variance then original petitions scientist has to deal with GDR-classifications problem of statistic falsification and data validation extreme administrative effort to collect, classify and „solve“ petitions´

claims proof of data validity approaches to validate data still open


1.4 Petitions‘ Statistics (II) – Qualitative Aspects



Bis 1968

Ab 1969


1.4 Petitions‘ Statistics (III) – Material



As regard to research on petitions and petitions’ statistics:

historical contextualization of petitions is widely done contextualisation and reconstruction of petitions` statistics is missing Work with petitions` statistics extends the research field about petitions

As regard to research on life quality in the former GDR:

life quality is an under investigated field of research (Lebensweiseforschung) petitions‘ statistics help to illuminate the GDR-society under life quality aspects

As regard to data: official GDR-statistics offers only partly useful data „heritage“ of GDR Social-Sciences seems hardly useful for representative

research recovering petitions‘ statistics helps to improve the data situation

2. Current state of research 2.1 For which research questions petitions‘ statistics could be usefull?

15 administrative regions split in



Quelle: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/DDR_Verwaltung2.png, 12.06.13 15:00

city counties rural counties

22 1952 194

23 1953

24 1954

1956 193

23 1957 192

22 1958

23 1961

1965 191

25 1967

26 1969

27 1974

1988 189

26 1990

GDR-Census 1971 und 1981

sample criterias

• density of the counties • age distribution in the

counties • information about the

economical alignment (codification of the occupation)

• region • border-zone areas • urban influence

Sample plan, which defines, which counties will be selected national/district Archives digitalize the data Work in progress …

3. How to make Petitions´ Statistics usable:

3.1. The Polling concept



50

000

10

000

015

000

0

10

00

20

00

30

00

40

00

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990Jahr

Eingaben insgesamt

Wohnungswesen

Fitted values

Fitted values

Staatsrat Fitted values

Gesamtaufkommen, Wohnungswesen Staatsratseingaben '70-'89

Eingabenaufkommen Rat der Stadt Potsdam

4. Outlock

4.1 Potential Outcomes (I)



050

10

015

0

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990Jahr

Umweltschutz

Wasserwirtschaft/-schutz

Erholungswesen

Fitted values

Fitted values

Fitted values

Umweltschutz, Wasserwirtschaft/-Schutz, Erholungswesen '70-'89

Eingabenaufkommen Rat der Stadt Potsdam

4. Outlock

4.2 Potential Outcomes



Original Petitions not capable Petitions` Statistics seem to be an interesting alternative, because

… they seem good documented/archived … have a systematic format … seems to have a good data validity … can be examined under aspects of rational choice

Problems:

complex and costly sample concept research is “captured” in GDR-Logic hard to deconstruct and contextualize the administrative ratio, in

which petitions` statistic were produced

5. Summary: GDR Petitions – A sunken treasure for Social and Historical Sciences?

18.07.2013 GDR Petitions – A sunken treasure for Social

and Historical Sciences? 15

Thank You

for Your Attention

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GDR-Petitions A sunken treasure for Social and Historical Sciences? · 2013-07-23 · 18.07.2013 GDR Petitions – A sunken treasure for Social and Historical Sciences? 2 The contribution