| 1. |
- Åberg, Pelle, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Think Tanks : New Organizational Actors in a Changing Swedish Civil Society
- 2019
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Policy institutes, or ‘‘think tanks’’, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in our societies. In this article, we conceptualize think tanks explicitly as a civil society phenomenon, linking the proliferation of this relatively new type of actor to the transformation of civil society structures and of systems of interest representation. Using the case of Sweden as an illustration, we argue that the recent decades’ rise of think tanks in institutional settings outside of the USA can only be understood if we take into account the particular features and institutional policy access opportunities of the domestic civil society in each national case, and that think tanks should be analytically understood as the allies of, rather than competitors to, the older, established forces in civil society.
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| 2. |
- Arvidson, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Advocacy Compromised : How Financial, Organizational and Institutional Factors Shape Advocacy Strategies of Civil Society Organizations
- 2018
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Ingår i: Voluntas. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765. ; 29:4, s. 844-856
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Key functions of civil society organizations (CSOs) are to criticize governments and to hold them to account. Recent trends of privatization and contracting out challenge CSOs’ opportunities to voice such criticism. The purpose of this article is to analyse whether and why CSOs ‘hold back their criticism’ of public authorities, and how a compromised advocacy can be linked to financial, organizational and institutional factors. The article draws on an original survey of 2678 Swedish CSOs. The analyses show that certain levels of funding make CSOs more likely to hold back in their criticism, but also organizational and institutional factors play a role. The results identify the importance of distinguishing between objective and subjective factors related to how dependency is framed. It is the felt needs, experiences and perceptions of CSOs themselves that make hem prone to the strategic choice to hold back criticism of public authorities.
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| 3. |
- Arvidson, Malin
(författare)
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Change and Tensions in Non-profit Organizations: Beyond the Isomorphism Trajectory
- 2018
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Ingår i: Voluntas. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765. ; , s. 1-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research on the relationship between non-profit organizations (NPOs) and the public sector has been dominated by predictions of isomorphism where change and tensions in NPOs are attributed an imposing institutional setting. This article argues that research represents a selective perspective on organizational life due to its portrayal of organizational change as synonymous with an isomorphic, linear trajectory. The purpose of this article is to illustrate different sources and characteristics of change and tension. The article presents an analytical framework comprising of four components: evolving change, episodic change, inherent dilemmas, and conflicting logics, facilitating an understanding of the organization as movement. The analysis of a case study organization suggests that by identifying different dimensions of changes and tensions we can gain a richer understanding of the complexity of processes underpinning the organization as movement. The analysis reveals how multiple, parallel processes related to change and tensions generate reflections that drive integrity and identity formation at individual and organizational levels.
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| 4. |
- Diani, Mario, et al.
(författare)
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‘‘Right to the City’’ and the Structure of Civic Organizational Fields : Evidence from Cape Town
- 2018
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract This article proposes a network analytic approach to the role of frames in shaping the structure of civic organizational fields. Adopting a perspective from the global South, it looks at the impact of the expression ‘‘Right to the city’’ (RTC) over alliance building among civil society actors, exploring patterns of collaborative ties among 129 civil society organizations active in Cape Town from 2012 to 2014. The article addresses two broad ques- tions: What is the relation between RTC and other frames that are also frequently invoked to describe urban struggles and issues? Does the RTC frame affect the structure of urban civic organizational fields in significant ways? Data suggest that while RTC plays a significant role in local civil society, it is neither the only interpretative frame that Capetonian civic organizations draw upon to characterize their activity, nor the more salient. ‘‘Urban conservation,’’ especially tied to nature conservation and environmental issues, actually shapes the structure of local organizational fields in a sharper manner. This is, however, a potentially more divisive frame, rooted as it is in the apartheid legacy that still shapes urban dynamics in the city.
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| 5. |
- Eriksson, Erik
(författare)
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Incorporation and Individualization of Collective Voices : Public Service User Involvement and the User Movement’s Mobilization for Change
- 2018
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer-Verlag New York. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 29:4, s. 832-843
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ‘Service user involvement’ is a widespread and well-known phenomenon within welfare policy and practice in Western countries and is usually perceived as a way of improving welfare services to better aid service users in managing their predicaments. However, the presented ethnographical study of service user involvement within a Swedish psychiatry organization shows that user involvement initiatives might also result in unintended and undesired effects on the collective user movement (i.e. the service user organizations involved in the activities). The analysis suggests that initiatives on user involvement might affect both the constitution of the user movement as well as the way the movement operates. Theoretically co-optation theory informs the analysis.
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| 6. |
- Eschweiler, Jennifer, et al.
(författare)
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The Reciprocity Dimension of Solidarity : Insights from Three European Countries
- 2019
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - New York, NY : Springer. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 30:3, s. 549-561
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The article argues that closer attention to how solidarity is understood and expressed in different European contexts can shed light on the conditions for establishing a social and solidarity economy. Drawing on data collected within the H2020 SOLIDUS project, which explores current expressions of European solidarity, the comparative analysis covers three social economy initiatives, each representing a country with different political and economic context. The analysis focuses on solidarity as reciprocity and, in particular, how it is affected by such factors as actor motivations, internal participatory functioning, resource mix and political legitimacy. While further empirical work is needed, the findings suggest that solidarity as reciprocity produced by social and solidarity economy organisations thrives where political institutions are both supportive and trusted, where public funding is accessible, and where partnerships with relatively autonomous social and solidarity economy organisations are genuinely collaborative. © 2019, The Author(s).
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| 7. |
- Essen, Johan von
(författare)
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The Shifting Meanings of Popular Engagement in Swedish Society
- 2019
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 30:1, s. 29-40
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this article is to contribute to the Swedish debate on popular engagement by studying changes in popular engagement in Swedish society, and particularly look for processes of depoliticisation and politicisation since the beginning of the 1990s, by asking, has popular engagement been depoliticised since the beginning of the 1990s? Popular engagement has historically had different roles and fulfilled different functions; consequently, it is a societal phenomenon with several and competing significances due to varying dominant discourses framing the understanding of popular engagement and structuring the actions of engaged citizens. Obviously, the present composite of popular engagement in Swedish society reflects Swedish history and the various present forms of engagement can be conceived as historical layers. How popular engagement has been framed, valued and understood through history is an indication of what is supposed to be needed and feasible in a particular society at a certain time. This gives popular engagement symbolic meaning that renders it political significance and power that can be studied in cultural history. The article offers a brief historical review of the symbolic meanings of popular engagement in Swedish society from the breakthrough of modernity until the present times, and it demonstrates that it has not had a fixed significance over the years. Particular attention is given to an on-going subtle change of meaning of popular engagement occurring in contemporary Swedish society. This process implies a break with the popular mass movement tradition.
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| 8. |
- Florea, Ioana, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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A Field of Contention: Evidence from Housing Struggles in Bucharest and Budapest
- 2018
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Ingår i: Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 29:4, s. 712-724
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 The Author(s) The article offers a study of housing movements in Budapest and Bucharest, with the main focus on the developments since the financial crisis of 2008, stressing the role that both structural and contingent factors play in shaping the dynamics of this “field of contention.” It is argued that a structural view is enlightening for understanding the factors that form the interactive field between activists, such as differences in social positionality as well as ideological conflicts. Moreover, conceiving of a structurally produced field of contention can help explain the differences in housing contention in the two cities. The analysis situates housing movements and their allied, parallel, or opposing actors within the long-term processes of urbanization and global dynamics of commodification, including housing financialization. It demonstrates that to understand how structural and political factors interact in a complex field of contention, attention to processes beyond short-term local movements is necessary.
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| 9. |
- Jezierska, Katarzyna, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Social movements seen as radical political actors. The case of the Polish tenants’ movement
- 2018
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 29:4, s. 683-696
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article casts new light on the processes of collective claims and identity formation in social movements, with the help of the radical political framework of Laclau and Mouffe (Hegemony and socialist strategy: towards a radical democratic politics, Verso, London, 2001). Polish tenants, classified as ‘‘losers’’ of transition and marginalized in the mainstream discourse, nevertheless act collectively, mobilizing alliances with other democratic struggles and thus challenge the hegemony of neoliberal dogmas in the country. The very fact of mobilization of a socially and economically deprived group demanding the right to the city is provocative in the studied context. The empirical foundations of our study are 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with Polish tenants’ activists cross-referenced with media material produced by and about the movement, and previous studies on the topic. The contribution of this article is twofold: it combines social movement theory with radical political framework and fills the empirical gap in the body of literature on social movements in post-socialist Europe.
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| 10. |
- Johansson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Welfare Mix as a Contested Terrain: Political Positions on Government-Non-profit relations at national and local levels in a Social democratic Welfare State
- 2015
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Ingår i: Voluntas. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 26:5, s. 1601-1619
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As welfare states are increasingly challenged and replaced by welfare mix models, new ideas about the functions of non-profit and voluntary organisations NPVOs) provoke political conflicts that should be reflected in research. This paper explores the significance of political and ideological dimensions to present Changes in the Swedish welfare state regarding NPVOs as welfare services providers. Investigating both national and local level, the study addresses political as well as practical implications of the reframing of NPVOs as service providers rather than being associated with a voice function. The article shows extensive differences between national and local levels as contentious ideological cleavages at national level are dormant in local level politics. Variations in the way relations to NPVOs are structured in practice at local level appear related to factors other than political dimensions. The findings support the development of an analytical framework that reflects political dimensions and allow for empirical focus that includes national and local level politics and practices.
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| 11. |
- Karlberg, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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A Meta-organizational Perspective on the Europeanization of Civil Society : The Case of the Swedish Women's Lobby
- 2015
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 26:4, s. 1438-1459
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As a consequence of European integration and the EU's expanded social policy, more citizens' interests are today organized at EU level. In the case of the women's movement, there is an umbrella organization-the European Women's Lobby (EWL)-in place in Brussels coordinating national women's movements. The EWL demands from its members that they be nationwide and representative umbrellas, which has structuring effects on the women's movements at domestic level. This article proposes to study the Europeanization of civil society through the lens of meta-organization theory (Ahrne & Brunsson 2008). Europeanization can thus be understood as a process which imposes meta-organizational structures on civil society. Through a case study of the Swedish Women's Lobby, this article analyses the consequences for the women's movement in Sweden of the meta-organizational structure brought into being by Europeanization.
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| 12. |
- Kravchenko, Zhanna, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Entrepreneurial NPOs in Russia : Rationalizing the Mission
- 2018
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Kluwer Academic Publishers. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 29:5, s. 962-975
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nonprofit organizations in Russia are introducing for-profit activities as a means of gaining autonomy from external donors, and as instruments of strategic planning and sustainable development. This study focuses on organizations that work with welfare provision and explores how they reconcile entrepreneurial activities with their social mission. More specifically, we interrogate how two institutional logics, business and nonprofit, are defined and reconciled in organizational identities, structures and hierarchies. Socially oriented nonprofits define their mission through service to beneficiaries, through personal and professional dedication to beneficiaries’ well-being, and through making an impact on public policies and the society at large. They mimic a business approach in strategic planning and meticulous reporting, but subordinate profit-seeking to social mission by integrating entrepreneurial activities into already existing organizational structures, or by separating them into independent entities.
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| 13. |
- Nisbett, Gwendelyn S., et al.
(författare)
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Appealing to Goodwill or YOLO-Promoting Conservation Volunteering to Millennials
- 2017
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - : Springer. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 28:1, s. 288-306
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Volunteer travel opportunities are more plentiful than ever and are now offered worldwide, with conservation projects being an increasingly popular choice. Some of the emerging questions in this field are concerned with the effective communication of these opportunities to young people. One theory that could guide the creation of these persuasive campaigns for conservation volunteering is regulatory focus theory. By adopting this theory, we reveal yet another possibility for understanding motivations of conservation volunteers. Results of the experiment suggest promotion messages are better received (more persuasive) because they induce expectations in line with general view of conservation volunteering as a hedonic experience. Moreover, this study is the first one of its kind to show this important effect of environmental attitudes on individuals' responses to promotional messages about conservation volunteering travel.
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| 14. |
- Näslund, Hilda, et al.
(författare)
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Participatory spaces of mental health service user organizations in the post-deinstitutional era : mapping roles and challenges
- 2018
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Ingår i: VOLUNTAS - International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. - New York : Springer-Verlag New York. - 0957-8765 .- 1573-7888. ; 29:1, s. 190-200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- By applying the concept of participatory spaces, this article maps and analyzes current research on mental health service user organizations (MHSUOs). We have analyzed research literature from 2006 to 2016 to examine how the role of and challenges facing MHSUOs are formulated in the post-deinstitutional era. The current situation is marked by MHSUOs parallel presence in invited, claimed and popular spaces for participation. The post-deinstitutional era is characterized by a shift in focus from gaining access to such participatory spaces, to critically examining the political opportunities available in these. We further argue that the dominance of psychiatry-specific spaces could prevent MHSUOs from fully exploring their potential for participation in broader social issues.
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| 15. |
- Svensson, Kerstin, et al.
(författare)
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The creation of an unsolicited organization: Victim Support Sweden
- 2018
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Ingår i: Voluntas. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-8765. ; 29:5, s. 1008-1018
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to understand how a new nationwide nonprofit organization, Victim Support Sweden (VSS), emerged in just a few years without public or political demand. In this qualitative study, we reconstruct and follow the first years of the organization. The study is based on a content analysis of VSS’s archival documents from 1988 to 1992 and retrospective interviews with key persons. The results acknowledge the power of entrepreneurs in establishing the organization. The entrepreneurs used their skills, engagement, and backgrounds to “make sense” of the organization, even though there were no crime victims calling for support. They combined logics from adjacent fields and created a specific new “victim support logic.” Thereafter, the logic spread quickly through the entrepreneurs’ lobbying of politicians and education of local victim support volunteers.
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