Cooperation Relationships in Community Prevention Committees—Neglected by Qualitative Social Research?

Abstract

There are very few qualitative studies about the different models of cooperation founded in the last years in the field of community crime prevention in Germany. Qualitative methods are helpful in identifying and in analyzing the conflicts in interest and the negotiation process that takes place among the local institutes. The conflict in interest makes it difficult to work together and in the worst case it can completely block cooperation. With the help of qualitative methods, the soft skills and structural requirements for successful cooperation can be identified and discussed. The aim of this article is to show that it is necessary to examine the "inner life" of cooperation especially in crime prevention committees by using qualitative methods and with more rigor than in the past. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0503202