Effects and challenges due to financial support from the government: Reconfiguring Swedish civil society organisations in the wake of migration: the case of IM Swedish Development Partner
Translated title
Effects and challenges due to financial support from the government
Author
Hajabacs, Bojana
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-05-31
Abstract
This thesis examines how Swedish civil society organizations are being reshaped in the wake of the 2015 refugee influx and new government funding, using IM Swedish Development Partner as a case study. In December 2015 the government earmarked SEK 200 million for civil society to support the reception and establishment of newcomers, without prescribing detailed criteria. The study asks how IM’s role has changed under these conditions and what challenges accompany the change. Adopting an ethnographic approach based on an internship at IM, with participant observation informing the analysis, the thesis describes IM’s volunteer-led integration activities, including language cafés, and the organization’s intention to clarify goals and strengthen volunteer work after receiving funds. Findings indicate a dual effect of government support: resources enable clearer goals, stronger coordination, and potentially greater capacity, but also drive formalization that may constrain the flexible and informal ways of working valued by volunteers. This shift risks tensions between organizational control and volunteer autonomy and raises broader questions about the delegation of integration responsibilities, the meaning of establishment, and the evolving state–civil society relationship in Sweden.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan svenske civilsamfundsorganisationer omformes i kølvandet på flygtningetilstrømningen i 2015 og en ny bølge af statslig finansiering, med IM Swedish Development Partner som casestudie. I december 2015 afsatte regeringen 200 mio. SEK til civilsamfundet for at støtte modtagelse og etablering af nytilkomne uden at angive detaljerede kriterier for anvendelsen. Afhandlingen spørger, hvordan IMs rolle har ændret sig under disse vilkår, og hvilke udfordringer der følger med. Med en etnografisk tilgang baseret på et praktikophold hos IM, hvor deltagerobservation informerer analysen, beskriver studiet IMs frivilligdrevne integrationsaktiviteter, herunder sprogcaféer, og organisationens ambition om at tydeliggøre mål og styrke frivilligindsatsen efter de modtagne midler. Resultaterne peger på en dobbelt effekt af den statslige støtte: ressourcerne muliggør klarere mål, bedre koordinering og potentielt øget kapacitet, men driver også en formalisering, der kan begrænse de fleksible og uformelle arbejdsformer, som frivillige værdsætter. Skiftet indebærer risiko for spændinger mellem organisatorisk styring og frivillig autonomi og rejser bredere spørgsmål om uddelegering af integrationsansvar, betydningen af begrebet etablering og det udviklende forhold mellem stat og civilsamfund i Sverige.
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