About the project
My Ph.D. project is part of the SMI project at VID Scientific College, which investigates the defining features, added value, and impact of nonpofit welfare providers in Norway. My Ph.D. project focuses on the added value of the nonprofit sector.
The concept of added value in this context refers to how such organizations contribute positively in relation to others, implying a comparison. I argue that the comparative assessment of added value gains importance in the landscape of the Norwegian welfare state, which has become more competitive, where the role of nonprofit welfare providers is not given; rather, it emerges from ongoing political negotiations and competitive dynamics.
My research probes the nonprofit sector’s added value through a qualitative case study from a twofold perspective. By conducting a discourse analysis of Parliamentary documents, I examine politicians' perceptions of the nonprofit sector's added value and, thus, an external perspective of the sector’s value.
Furthermore, I undertake an in-depth examination of a prominent Norwegian non-profit foundation as an empirical case study. The foundation operates in various fields of welfare services, such as hospital care, nursing homes, and child welfare services. Here, I investigate the organization's identity, with a particular emphasis on added value. The data material encompasses interviews and relevant documents from the organization. I am particularly interested in how the organization understands its identity and adds value amidst the competitive welfare state where non-profit actors face many demands and influences. This context demands a delicate balance between maintaining a competitive edge and adhering to one’s core values.
Theoretically, the project positions itself theoretically within organizational theory. I am particularly interested in the relationship between institutional complexity within the welfare sphere and added value.
Background
Master of Arts (history)
Research group
Ledelse, Organisasjon og Verdier i Praksis (LOVIP)