Projectification as a response to political demands for collaboration

A study of projects in the City of Malmö

Authors

  • Rebecka Forssell Center for Applied Working Life Research, Malmö University
  • Mats Fred Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö University
  • Patrik Hall Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v17i2.15745

Keywords:

Projektifiering, Samverkan, Finansieringslogik, Systemlogik, Organisationslogik, Projectification, Collaboration, External funding, System logic, Organizational logi

Abstract

Many studies have shown the difficulty of managing complex, inter-organizational problems in the form of short-term projects; nevertheless the projectification of public policy continues. In this article an empirical study of the City of Malmö's project activities is conducted in order to examine the changing and stabilizing effects of projects. A further aim is to develop the political science understanding of the increased use of projects as organizational forms in public sector. A meta-study based on 30 evaluations was conducted as well as three case studies. The article shows that projects, or results and knowledge gained from projects, seldom is implemented in the permanent organization. Instead, projects tend to lead to new projects. Projects are placed in specific “parking lots”, aside from the ordinary organization, before transportation to new projects – a phenomenon which creates a degree of stability for public organizations, and which is evident in the growing number of organizations with the main task of mana- ging projects. This relative stability can be understood in terms of conflicts between different logics: a system logic (controlled by external funders) focused on the continuous creation of new projects: a political logic with the aim of demonstrating development-oriented collaboration; and an organizational logic that is focused on predictability and thus tend to repel temporary structures. One conclusion is that it is not primarily the project format that is problematic, but rather that projects tend to lead to bureaucratization as local decision-makers do not take responsibility for development.

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Author Biographies

Rebecka Forssell, Center for Applied Working Life Research, Malmö University

Rebecka Forssell is a PhD student in urban studies at Malmö University and has worked with evaluation at Malmö University since 2009. Most of the evaluations that Rebecka has conducted have been EU-funded projects within the City of Malmö or other municipalities and authorities in Skåne. Above all, the projects that Rebecka has evaluated have been in the field of labor market and rehabilitation.

Mats Fred, Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö University

Mats Fred is a PhD student in political science at the Department of Global Policy Studies at Malmö University. His dissertation is about the city of Malmö's area program. He graduated with a master's degree in political science in 2007 and has since worked as a research assistant at the Swedish Institute for Working Life for one year and as a project manager specializing in evaluation at Malmö University for five years. Much of Mats' work has concerned Swedish municipal and administrative activities and various forms of projects focusing on the labor market and rehabilitation.

Patrik Hall, Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö University

Patrik Hall is Associate Professor in Political Science at the Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö University. He has conducted research in several different areas, in recent years mainly on the causes of organizational change in public administration. In 2012 he published the book Management bureaucracy: organizational power in Swedish public administration. In recent years he has published articles in journals such as Regional Studies, Local Government Studies and Administrative Theory and Praxis. He is currently leading a large project, funded by the Swedish Research Council, that examines the problem of collaboration in public administration, and participates as a policy researcher in the MISTRA Future Fashion project.

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Published

2013-06-15

How to Cite

Forssell, R., Fred, M., & Hall, P. (2013). Projectification as a response to political demands for collaboration: A study of projects in the City of Malmö. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 17(2), 37–59. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v17i2.15745

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