Social Services, Social Innovation and Multi-Actor Collaboration: A Civil Society Organisation Perspective
The overall findings suggest that social innovation in social services in a socio-politically fragile context is not a public sector phenomenon, but rather is driven by non-state service providers (local CSOs).
Aleksandar Bozic
PhD Candidate
You may follow the disputation online. Link for streaming: www.uia.no/live/event/Disputas-KRS
Aleksandar Bozic of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Agder has submitted his thesis entitled «Social Services, Social Innovation and Multi-Actor Collaboration: A Civil Society Organisation Perspective» and will defend the thesis for the PhD-degree Thursday 27 October 2022.
He has followed the PhD programme at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Agder, with specialisation in Sociology and Social Work.
Summary of the thesis by Aleksandar Bozic:
Multi-actor collaboration, social innovation and service provision in a socio-politically fragile context: A civil society perspective
The thesis attempted to advance an understanding of how social innovation is generated through the perspective of civil society organisations (CSOs) that provide social services for vulnerable groups through collaboration with multiple actors in a socio-politically fragile context, with a legacy of war, scarce resources and weak institutions.
15 case interviews
Using Bosnia and Herzegovina as a case, this dissertation adopts mixed methods research design.
The empirical data consist of 15 semi-structured interviews with representatives from local CSOs, international aid/development donors and the public social sector institutions, as well as a survey of 120 CSO representatives from a variety of social service CSOs with the experience of the implementation of socially innovative services, models and interventions.
The thesis consists of three articles
Article 1 identified the mechanisms and processes of social innovation generated by civil society organisations as non-state service providers in challenging social work practices.
Article 2 explored the role of CSOs in delivering social services within a multi-actor setting and how this facilitates or challenges CSOs in the field of social innovation.
Article 3 revealed the external environmental factors influencing the integration of social innovation by CSOs into their social services.
Findings
The overall findings suggest that social innovation in social services in a socio-politically fragile context is not a public sector phenomenon, but rather is driven by non-state service providers (local CSOs).
Usually, it emerges within the triple framework of collaboration developed between civil society, international donors and public organisations.
Despite this, a collaborative aspect of social innovation is not easy to implement in such a context due to power imbalances, tensions and lower trust among multiple actors, strong hierarchical structures of different organisations and lack of relevant policies, which may undermine the visibility of CSOs' collaborative and innovative efforts in social work.
Disputation facts:
The trial lecture and the public defence will take place in Knut Hamsuns auditorium B1 007, Campus Kristiansand. You may follow the disputation online. Link for streaming: www.uia.no/live/event/Disputas-KRS
Vice-Dean Hanne Haaland, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Agder, will chair the disputation.
The trial lecture Thursday 27 Octoberat 10:15 hours
Public defence Thursday 27 October at 12:15 hours
Given topic for trial lecture: «The roles of Civil society in social innovation – Drivers, Obstacles, Opportunities & Examples»
Thesis Title: «Social Services, Social Innovation and Multi-Actor Collaboration: A Civil Society Organisation Perspective»
Search for the thesis in AURA - Agder University Research Archive, a digital archive of scientific papers, theses and dissertations from the academic staff and students at the University of Agder.
The thesis is available here:
https://uia.brage.unit.no/uia-xmlui/handle/11250/3025144
The Candidate: Aleksandar Bozic (1979, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina) Bachelor’s degree in social work, The University of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2005) and Master’s degree in “Communities, Organisations and Social Changes”, City University of London, England, United Kingdom (2008) Present position: Assistant Professor at The Department of Sociology and Social Wort at the University of Agder.
Opponents:
First opponent: Professor Lars Hulgård, Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University, Denmark
Second opponent: Professor Kerstin Jacobsson, Department of Sociology and Work Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Professor Alexander Ruser, Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Agder, is appointed as the administrator for the assessment committee.
Supervisors in the doctoral work were Associate Professor Tale Steen-Johnsen, Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Agder (main supervisor) and Professor Emerita Anne Marie Støkken, Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Agder (co-supervisor).