Roles of Civil Society in Welfare

Civil society's (new?) roles in combating homelessness: a follow-up study.

The project aims to enhance our understanding of the roles of civil society in the field of homelessness during the 2020s and whether and how these roles have changed since the late 1990s. The empirical study consists of interviews with representatives of civil society organizations working in the field of homelessness in Stockholm and Gothenburg, supplemented with relevant documents. The study is a follow-up to a similar study conducted in the late 1990s (Nordfeldt 1999). The results show that "traditional" organizations in the field have expanded their activities, and new organizations and networks have emerged. Furthermore, civil society organizations play a crucial role as an initial step - a mediating link - to the public welfare system. Needs that have emerged in this link include legal advice and support in navigating the increasingly digital public welfare systems. At the same time, organizations have strengthened their "niche" as an additional social safety net for individuals who are outside or have limited access to public welfare. The project was funded by MUCF 2019-2021. Principal researcher: Marie Nordfeldt

Publications:

Nordfeldt, M. (2022) Roles of voluntary organizations in the field of homelessness. Representatives, links, and extra safety nets. Social Medicine Journal 4/2022, 479-490. https://socialmedicinsktidskrift.se/index.php/smt/article/view/2813/2649

Nordfeldt, M. (2023) Civil society's (new?) roles in combating homelessness. Reporting on a follow-up study. The Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society Issues, MUCF. https://www.mucf.se/publikationer/civilsamhallets-nya-roller-att-motverka-hemloshet

Local Civil Society's Role in Rural Communities

The project explores how local civil society organizations contribute to holding together and developing local communities in rural Sweden by replacing public and commercial services that have disappeared from the area. The aim is to contribute knowledge about the local civil society's role in preserving and developing service functions in sparsely populated areas in rural Sweden and the effects of this civil society organization on the local community.

The project is a collaboration between researchers from Marie Cederschiöld University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and Karlstad University. At Karlstad University, the project has been conducted within the Center for Research on Sustainable Social Change, CRS. The project was funded by Formas 2020-2022. Project leader: Pelle Åberg, Marie Cederschiöld University. Responsible researcher at Karlstad University: Marie Nordfeldt.

Publications:

Cras, Patrik, von Essen, Johan, Nordfeldt, Marie & Åberg, Pelle (2022). About the Farmers' National Federation as a popular movement organization. The significance of local branches in rural areas. LRF.

Cras, P., Nordfeldt, M., Åberg, P. & von Essen, J. (2023). Can civil society solve rural service challenges? In: S. Stenbacka & B. Hermelin (Eds.). Sustainable spatial planning for rural areas. Gleerups.

Åberg, P., von Essen, J., Cras, P., Nordfeldt M. & Hansen, K. (2024). Adult education in rural areas. About the importance of adult education for people and local communities in Swedish rural areas. Adult Education Council. https://www.folkbildningsradet.se/media/ft5paygm/fbr_rapport_landsbygd2024_webb.pdf

LGBTQ Perspectives on Housing

Substudy in the project "Applying a gender perspective to housing," conducted at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University.

Project leader: Irene Molina, professor of cultural geography, Uppsala University.
Lead Researcher at Karlstad University: Marie Nordfeldt.
Participating researcher: Ulla Rantakeisu.