Abstract:

This study follows sixteen state-sponsored projects carried out by Swedish civil society organizations (CSOs) aiming at integrating refugees after the refugee wave in 2015. CSOs received funding for integration projects of their own design, within certain parameters. Seven years later, we interviewed churches, voluntary associations, social enterprises, and immigrant associations who had received funding, asking what projects they started, whether they continued or not, and why.

According to neo-institutional theory, organizations must meet institutional constraints to be perceived as legitimate and secure resources, but doing so may hinder the efficient execution of their core activities. Organizations address this by "loose coupling," ostensibly fulfilling formal requirements while conducting their core activities as they see fit. Except for the immigrant associations, the CSOs did not have integration as a core activity. The hypothesis was therefore that they might resort to loose coupling—doing what they deemed best, reporting what the government wanted to hear, securing long-term funds, and institutionalizing integration activities.

However, most activities were discontinued. They were not only loosely coupled but altogether decoupled from the organizations' core activities. Projects depended on the prior experiences of engaged individuals, such as teachers organizing language training, or nurses launching health projects. Reporting results proved challenging, as reporting criteria measured different outcomes than what participants considered important. Consequently, continued funding could not be secured, and the activities remained too decoupled from the organizations' core activities to be integrated into their ordinary programs. Instead of “efficient loose coupling” there was “inefficient decoupling”, and integration was not institutionalized.

Two exceptions emerged: immigrant associations, which had integration as a core activity, and a social enterprise that, upon failing to secure ongoing funding, established a new independent company. This company was financed by selling cleaning services provided by immigrant women who also received language training and support. This alignment with formal organizational frameworks led to sustainable integration activities.

The key takeaway is that for the government to engage CSOs in the long term, programs must align with their core activities, and evaluation criteria must align with the values of volunteers and participants. Theoretically, the study establishes a limit to loose coupling: activities must be somewhat aligned with the formal organizational framework to be sustainable. The concept of "inefficient decoupling" is introduced to institutional theory, elucidating instances where loose coupling fails and inefficient decoupling leads to the creation of a new formal organization capable of housing desired activities.

Keywords:

Integration, migration, institutional theory, loose coupling, funding, civil society organizations, NGOs.