Purpose This study explores how the projectification of collaboration between nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and local authorities impacts NPOs’ autonomy and long-term missions. It focuses on how project-based funding and governance structures influence organizational identity, resource dependence and capacity to deliver sustainable social value. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through 20 semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis, using a qualitative case study of a Swedish NPO collaborating with local authorities. Governance, resource dependence and network effectiveness theories guide the analysis of vertical and horizontal relationships, emphasizing how project-based structures shape NPO’ operations. Findings The study not only reveals that projectification provides resources and legitimacy but also imposes short-termism, administrative burdens and autonomy constraints. NPOs often align their activities with funders’ priorities and risking mission drifts. Strategies such as funding diversification and flexible governance help mitigate these challenges, highlighting the tensions between external demands and internal goals. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of how projectification reshapes NPO’ governance and collaboration. It combines empirical findings with theoretical frameworks to offer practical insights for researchers, practitioners and policymakers to navigate project-based collaboration complexities.

I samband med pandemin har den svenska förvaltningsmodellen diskuterats. Det har funnits ett ifrågasättande av kommunernas förmåga att hantera den kris som pandemin innebar. Samtidigt har pandemins krishantering avslöjat så väl brist på kunskap om kommunal verksamhet bland statliga myndigheter som att det föreligger skillnader i förutsättningar mellan kommuner för verksamhetens genomförande. I studier som genomförts av fem kommuner och en region under perioden 2020–2021 visar tvärtom resultatet på den lokala nivåns förmåga att hantera pandemin, vilket även bekräftas av internationella studier. Regionens och kommunernas krishantering har visat styrkan i en decentraliserad samhällsstruktur, men också att viktiga utvecklingsfrågor och blottlagda brister måste hanteras lokalt för en ändamålsenlig hantering av kommande kriser och för en gynnsam utveckling i vardagen. Svaret finns inte i en ökad centralisering, utan en förstärkning av det kommunala självstyret och att ta sig an de utmaningar som finns i flernivåstyrningen som kommit att prägla offentlig sektor.

Many of the pressing problems in society are complex and ill-defined. This question theusability of pre-existing organizational arrangements and governance models in the publicsector. To address th ...

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It has become increasingly common to use the project as a form of organization when implementing public policies. Previous research has identified political, administrative and organizational motives behind this trend towards more project-based organizations within the public administration. The problem is that project-based organization carries inherent problems and special challenges when these projects are supposed to be implemented in permanent agencies and organizations. The purpose of this paper is to identify problems and challenges that public administrations face when ‘the project organization’ is used as a structural form of organization in implementing different kinds of public policies. The article takes its starting point in the policy implementation research and especially in Matland’s conflict-ambiguity model. This research tradition is complemented by a review of research on temporary organizations, which draws attention to some inherent and significant characteristics of project organizations, that is the concepts of entity, relationship and time. Our analysis shows that the use of project organization puts special demands on the players involved, and if these are not taken into account, there is a high risk that projects designed to bring about social change will not produce the effects that policymakers and citizens expect.

Projectification of the Public Human Services —identifying four ‘archetypical’ project organizations based on time, space and relationship challenges

Den har studien handlar om interorganisatorisk samverkan inom vard och omsorg. Har studeras vilka strategier som forsta och andra linjens kommunala chefer anvander for att fa till stand en fungeran ...

The project is often used when implementing public policies. The problem is that the project organization itself often carries inherent challenges when the outcomes of these projects are to be impl ...

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It has become increasingly common to use projects as a form of organization when implementing public policies in the area of social welfare, and in other policy areas as well. The EU, along with it ...

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