Способы взаимодействия между НКО работающими с инвалидами и государственными властями в контексте политики сокращения социальных расходов: кейс-стади исследование России и Финляндии (Patterns of interaction between NGOs working with disabled people and state authorities in the context of austerity policy: case study of Russia and Finland)
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Introduction 3
Chapter 1. Theoretical approaches to study relations between state authorities and non-governmental organizations 11
1. 1. Theoretical frames of investigation the state-NGOs’ relations during marketization 11
1.2. De-commodification phenomenon as basis for the NGO-state relations 12
1.3. The loosing of the state sovereignty as a key feature for study the recent tendencies 13
1.4. The social capital theory as additional source of conceptualization 16
1.5. The New Public Management theory as interpretation of austerity policy phenomenon.. ..19
1.6. The key interpretations of social capital as a ground for the comparative case-study 20
Chapter 2. Finnish case: dynamics of interaction between NGO and state 23
2.1. Organizational features of Finish case: legal status, structure and types of activities 23
2.2. History of organization: way from national association toward social service provider 25
2.3. Current mission, values, goals and strategy: shift to commercialization 28
2.4. Changes in funding: the key points for financial stability 29
2.5. Institutional framework of interaction with the state: civic engagement and shared
responsibilities for social affairs 33
2.6. Effect of the austerity context in the era of neoliberalism 45
Chapter 3. Russian case: dynamics of interaction between NGO and state 50
3.1. Organizational features of Russian case: legal status, structure and types of activities 50
3.2. History of organization: from grass-root towards resource center 52
3.3. Current mission, values and strategy: shift to the professionalization of charitable
activities 55
3.4. Changes in funding: the key points of searching a financial stability 58
3.5. Institutional framework of interaction with the state: governmental corporatism 61
3.6. Effect of the austerity context in the era of neoliberalism 76
Chapter 4. Patterns of interaction between state and NGOs in Russia and Finland 83
4.1. Egalitarian pattern of interaction in Finnish case: features and practices 84
4.2. Paternalistic pattern of interaction in Russian case: features and practices 85
Conclusion 89
Bibliography
Chapter 1. Theoretical approaches to study relations between state authorities and non-governmental organizations 11
1. 1. Theoretical frames of investigation the state-NGOs’ relations during marketization 11
1.2. De-commodification phenomenon as basis for the NGO-state relations 12
1.3. The loosing of the state sovereignty as a key feature for study the recent tendencies 13
1.4. The social capital theory as additional source of conceptualization 16
1.5. The New Public Management theory as interpretation of austerity policy phenomenon.. ..19
1.6. The key interpretations of social capital as a ground for the comparative case-study 20
Chapter 2. Finnish case: dynamics of interaction between NGO and state 23
2.1. Organizational features of Finish case: legal status, structure and types of activities 23
2.2. History of organization: way from national association toward social service provider 25
2.3. Current mission, values, goals and strategy: shift to commercialization 28
2.4. Changes in funding: the key points for financial stability 29
2.5. Institutional framework of interaction with the state: civic engagement and shared
responsibilities for social affairs 33
2.6. Effect of the austerity context in the era of neoliberalism 45
Chapter 3. Russian case: dynamics of interaction between NGO and state 50
3.1. Organizational features of Russian case: legal status, structure and types of activities 50
3.2. History of organization: from grass-root towards resource center 52
3.3. Current mission, values and strategy: shift to the professionalization of charitable
activities 55
3.4. Changes in funding: the key points of searching a financial stability 58
3.5. Institutional framework of interaction with the state: governmental corporatism 61
3.6. Effect of the austerity context in the era of neoliberalism 76
Chapter 4. Patterns of interaction between state and NGOs in Russia and Finland 83
4.1. Egalitarian pattern of interaction in Finnish case: features and practices 84
4.2. Paternalistic pattern of interaction in Russian case: features and practices 85
Conclusion 89
Bibliography
The core idea of my interdisciplinary research presented by relations of two actors: the state authorities defined as public organizations responsible for governing the state and its territories and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs-see glossary) defined as civil society organzations independent from the state governance and commercial priorities. Both of them are implementing vivid functions in the provision of social benefits and shape the common picture of the welfare state. During the second half of the twentieth century, some investigations even were emphasing the participation of the non-governmental intiatives in the relations with the state actors as one of the principles of consolidation of democracy in overall . According to Michael Gorny, the partnerships between civil society, the private sector and the state are perceived as the most effective methods for solving complex of social, cultural and economic problems .
However, Russian realities show that the interests of the formal state institutions and the representatives of civil society are contradicting to each other. For example, there is a contradiction of interests between the state authorities responsible for social protection and care and NGOs working with disabled people regarding the usage of the state resources for provision of all required social services for disabled groups of people in recent time.
My study steps from the new phenomenon associated with the change in the state-NGOs’ relations that has kindled scientific interest and triggered heated discussions reflecting different expectations all over the world today. I mean such phenomena as the reformation of welfare policy, especially the decrease of social obligations and delegation part of the state service towards NGOs. Exactly, this phenomenon of the state-NGO’s relations draws my attention to the problem of patterns of interactions between the state and NGOs working with disabled people in time associated with the austerity policy. In my opinion, it’s possible to use the austerity policy as a term for description processes related to commercialization, indivilduiazation and the specific trend of minimization of government involvement in solving social issues. These phenomena are considered by many scholars arguing about the world reformation into the new forms of civil society .
The features of the state and NGOs working with disabled groups of people’ relations might be considered through the certain patterns of interaction. The pattern as term recognized as a reliable sample of certain actions formed by speficic repeating regularities of actions between the state and non-governmental organizations. From the one side, such actions based on the official state’s position towards NGOs providing services for socially-vulnerable groups of citizens. From another side, these actions are laid on the NGOs’ ideas constructed from the practices of solidarities of involved group of people. The patterns of interaction are usually shaped due to the state’s policy regarding administration of non-governmental sphere. To understand, what the patterns of interactions between these institutions, we could review the practices of interaction between the state and representatives of third sector working with disabled people. But what are the informal practices when the austerity policy is becoming more relevant in Russia and in Finland that facing with the effects of economic recession and features of neoliberalism era?
For the formation of certain patterns it might formulate case-decriptions and the results of intervieews for the determination of two patterns of interaction between the state and NGOs working with disabled persons
The object of my study is the two non-governmental, non-profit organizations created as a result of grassroots movements. The first is KVPS (Service Foundation for People with Intellectual Disability) from Tampere, Finland and the second is the GAOORDI (Saint- Petersburg Association of Parents Disabled-Children) from Saint-Petersburg. They both engaged in the provision of social care services for people with disabilities.
The subject of my research is relations between charitable non-governmental organizations and state authorities in Russia and Finland.
The aim of this paper is to study the patterns of interaction between charitable NGOs working with disabled people and state authorities and to compare Russian and Finnish patterns while taking into account the context of austerity policy
The objectives are:
Theoretical
• To study different theoretical approaches describing and explaining the foundation of relations between the state authorities and NGO’s, phenomenon of work with disabled persons in Russia and Finland;
• to explore the phenomenon of “austerity policy” and describing the process of the economic recession’s impact on the welfare policies of Russia and Finland;
• to examine the legislative discourse of relations the state and third sector organizations in Russia and Finland;
Empirical
• to study the practical relations associated with interaction between the states and non-governmental organizations in Russia and Finland;
• to analyze the similarities and differences in the relations between NGOs working with disabled people and public authorities in Russia and Finland and reveal the main changes in economic conditions, associated with austerity policy;
• to study challenges, constraints and barriers faced with the investigated patterns of interaction and reveal the non-governmental respond;
• to analyze if NGOs are independent from states or not.
The major research question is: “What are the patterns of interaction between the states and NGOs working with disabled people, when Russia and Finland states are placed in the context of austerity policy in the era of neoliberalism nowadays?”
Methodology:
This investigation is based on several ideas describing and explaining the development of relations between the state authorities and NGOs, phenomena of disability and austerity policy. Nowadays the third sector institutions comprise a different organization structures working as neighborhood units, welfare-providers, civic associations, charitable foundations and providing the variety of benefits and services for the their members or clients. The large part of NGOs are involved in the provision of services for socially-vulnerable groups . It seems to me important to emphasize the particular work of civic institutes working with the people with different disabilities. The questions related to disability have very sharp, meaningful and practical nature.
These issues were investigated and widely-spread by Tossebro, Barnes, Ferguson and others. The general concept of scientists is to refrain a nature of disability in human experience, policy and services. According to them the disability is the problematic interaction between individual physiology or psychology and the recognition by the common society and further inclusion.
In addition, the Russian scientists as Jakobson and Miloslavskaya, Yarskaya-Smirnova pointed out that the grass-rooted NGOs are the most effective part among all organizations which focus on disabled people support. Such NGOs used to found by the group of activists deeply involving in the work of the organization because of their personal problems and life accidents. They interested in support for people with disability because many of them have been individually faced disabled persons or have a certain disability themselves.
A certain part of NGOs’ study is dedicated to the economic reasons of existence of the state-NGOs’ relations, such ideas as the inability of cover appropriate level of social protection by the national states and increase of the requirements of funding at the time of decrease of the state spending are used to spread by international institutions (World Bank, 2005) . The global economic recession happened in 2007 influenced on the mentioned organizations in each nation state. According to Salamon investigations there are similarities in the happened recessions in 1977-1984 and 2007. The specialty of the last crisis associated with shift of social obligations: countries are restructuring their welfare states and involving NGOs into the state provision of social services and protection clients’ welfare. Thus, they both become responsible for provision of social care and support for citizens. However, the further development of interaction might not be possible because of reduced state support and assistance for them in the different reasons. Arguing my interest, I would point this phenomena associated with economic recession impacting on certain actors of civil society in post-crisis is still attracting scientific interests. During my research, I would mention an emergence of articles regarding the economic pressure for the state-NGOs’ relations the in Europe. Such works are not aiming to investigation the real existence of austerity in countries but gave me a certain argument for the justification of my research in overall .
The core theoretical idea of my research is presented by the Gosta Esping-Andersen’s phenomenon of decomodification. The author’s phenomenon of decomodification is strengthening the citizen’s rights towards the common welfare obligations from the market dependency. But scientist didn’t mention non-governmental actors, so their participation in the decomodifiation is unclear .
Then, I refer to the Saskia Sasen’s idea of “the loosing the states’ sovereignty”. According to her, the free circulation of capital, goods, information, and services have impacted on deregulation the state’s control. The globalization under these conditions has entailed a partial denationalizing of the national territory and the shift of some components of state sovereignty to other institutions, from supranational entities in the global capital market.
The Sassen’s concept seems good to combine with the ideas of the social capital formulated by Bourdieu, Fukuyama and Putnam. The authors tend to frame social capital as a producer of "civic engagement" and also a broad societal measure of common health of the society. Fukuyama and Putnam’s works transform social capital from a resource possessed by individuals with an attribute of collectives, focusing on norms and trust as producers of social capital to the exclusion of networks.
According to scholars Ranta, Pestoff, Wijkstrom, Berggren, Tragard, Block and N. Golovin, I would note that the social capital represents the balance of common interests and can raise the social solidarity, trust between participants and homogeneity. This idea is used to characterize the relations of equality and unification between non-governmental organizations working with disabled people and the state authorities in the Nordic welfare states. Combining this approach to the Russian situation, I would refer to Lytkina’s notions of social capital and practices of social solidarity. According to her, the social capital does exist, but it doesn’t grow now. The social solidarity is very restricted by own individual and group citizen’s interests, so there are tendencies of its reduction .
It’s necessary to mention thoughts associated with the negative characterization of the state-NGOs relations. I mean an impact on social capital produced dysfunction of trust’ phenomenon. It took my attention to the negative effects of clientelism and corruption in the society presented by Papakostas .
The methodological basis of the conducting research consists of a combination of qualitative methods.
Methods of data collection are based on case-study research strategy - comparative detailed analysis of two cases. The first case is KVPS (Service Foundation for People with Intellectual Disability) from Tampere, Finland and the second is the GAOORDI (Saint- Petersburg Association of Non-governmental Organizations of Parents with Disabled-Children) from Saint-Petersburg. These organizations are clear examples of non-governmental non-profit organizations were created as a result of grassroots movements. They both engaged in the provision of social care services for people with disabilities, but their focus groups, destinations of work, relations with the public authorities, organizational structures of branches, sizes of organizations and possibilities are differed from each other.
In accordance the choice of case-study as a research strategy, the following methods will be used:
• document analysis (analysis of federal legislation of Finland, Russian federal and Saint-Petersburg’s legislation, especially social-legislative acts regulating forms of establishment, running of activities, forms of support, patterns of interaction)
• in-depth interviews of the heads of NGOs, specialists, civil servants, experts of the third sector, volunteers, clients of NGOs;
• semi-structured participant distinct observation of everyday work of the GAOORDI (Saint-Petersburg) and KVPS (Tampere).
Methods of analyzing data are based on comparative analysis of two cases of non-governmental organizations and provide a detail description of each study-case.
Expectations:
I would expect the evidence of certain change of the welfare state, such as the decrease of the state obligations and delegation part of the state service to non-governmental organizations working with disabled persons in both cases. From the Finnish case was expected to testify a mutual interaction of non-profit organizations and state bodies and further development of the state-non-governmental relations in comparison to Russian case. From the Russian case was expected to testify the paternalistic model of relations that is making worsen the situation with economic difficulties forced by austerity policy context.
Glossary
The following categories terms are used in the research:
Pattern of interaction - a reliable sample of certain actions formed by specific repeating regularities of actions between the state and non-governmental organizations. From the one side, such actions based on the official state’s position towards NGOs providing services for socially- vulnerable groups of citizens. From another side, these actions are laid on the NGOs’ ideas constructed from the practices of solidarities of an involved group of people. The patterns of interaction are usually shaped due to the state’s policy regarding administration of non-governmental sphere.
Third sector - a broad variety of the civil society’s organizations being both independent from the state and the market and playing an important role for civil society. NGO’s activities are ranging from neighborhood initiatives, professionalized umbrella organizations, and civic associations to advocacy networks, and charity foundations (Evers ).
Non-governmental organization (NGO) - institutional form that is not part of the government structure and doesn’t distribute own profits to their directors/heads or members. It also self-governing structure where the people take part in freely, without any compulsion (Salamon ).
Welfare state - a concept of the state’s governance where the state presents a key role in the protection and promotion of the social and economic well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life. Due to own characteristics of the principles of equality and spreading the common wealth, the welfare states are classified on liberal, social-democratic and conservative models (Esping- Andersen ).
Social democratic state - political form of the state whose goal is the gradual improvement of capitalism policy for approval of social justice among citizens. This state characterized by high levels of benefits and services provided by the state. This state opts to “take direct responsibility of caring for children, the aged and the socially vulnerable groups of people (Esping Andersen).
Economic recession -a marked slippage in economic activity, when the GPD, income, employment, industrial production, and sales are following a decline in the aggregate demand for at least two quarters of negative growth .
Austerity policy - official government measures during a period of enforced or extreme economy taken to reduce public spending, particularly in the areas of social welfare and public sector employment . The policy is associated with appropriate minimalism developed from the notions of existential scarcity and stern oversight that resonate with historical meanings of this word and its associations with self-discipline, thrift, and scarcity, but which also exhibit distinctively neoliberal inflections (Jamie Peck, 2015) .
Neoliberalization - an ideology presenting the decrease of governmental impact as the basis for the reinvigoration and development of private enterprise, free markets, and individual liberty and responsibility (Springer, Birch, MacLeavy, 2014) .
NGO’s internal and external resources - the different type of the economic and human investments accumulated due to the work of the organization.
People with special needs / disabled people - the socially-vulnerable group of people whose abilities or structure of the body has peculiarities of development and differ from common people, because of persistent disorder of body functions, entailing significant or complete incapacitation. Someone who is unable to use part of their body or brain properly because of injury or disease (Yarskaya-Smirnova ).
Structure of the paper:
The paper consists of the introduction, four chapters and conclusion. The first chapter is the theoretical one, it includes the analysis of the theoretical framework of the state-NGOs’ relations and the interpretations of social capital approach are considered for the determination egalitarian and paternalistic paterns of interaction. The second chapter focuses on analysis of participant observation on the Finnish case - Kehitysvammaisten Palvelusaatio, especially its dynamics of interaction between NGO and state actors. The third chapter focuses on the same participant observation of the Russian case - Saint-Petersburg Association of Non-governmental Organizations of Parents with Disabled Children. The forth chapter focuses on analysis of investigated patterns that helped me to elaborate the picture regarding patterns of interaction between mentioned actors in Russia and Finland in the context of austerity policy.
However, Russian realities show that the interests of the formal state institutions and the representatives of civil society are contradicting to each other. For example, there is a contradiction of interests between the state authorities responsible for social protection and care and NGOs working with disabled people regarding the usage of the state resources for provision of all required social services for disabled groups of people in recent time.
My study steps from the new phenomenon associated with the change in the state-NGOs’ relations that has kindled scientific interest and triggered heated discussions reflecting different expectations all over the world today. I mean such phenomena as the reformation of welfare policy, especially the decrease of social obligations and delegation part of the state service towards NGOs. Exactly, this phenomenon of the state-NGO’s relations draws my attention to the problem of patterns of interactions between the state and NGOs working with disabled people in time associated with the austerity policy. In my opinion, it’s possible to use the austerity policy as a term for description processes related to commercialization, indivilduiazation and the specific trend of minimization of government involvement in solving social issues. These phenomena are considered by many scholars arguing about the world reformation into the new forms of civil society .
The features of the state and NGOs working with disabled groups of people’ relations might be considered through the certain patterns of interaction. The pattern as term recognized as a reliable sample of certain actions formed by speficic repeating regularities of actions between the state and non-governmental organizations. From the one side, such actions based on the official state’s position towards NGOs providing services for socially-vulnerable groups of citizens. From another side, these actions are laid on the NGOs’ ideas constructed from the practices of solidarities of involved group of people. The patterns of interaction are usually shaped due to the state’s policy regarding administration of non-governmental sphere. To understand, what the patterns of interactions between these institutions, we could review the practices of interaction between the state and representatives of third sector working with disabled people. But what are the informal practices when the austerity policy is becoming more relevant in Russia and in Finland that facing with the effects of economic recession and features of neoliberalism era?
For the formation of certain patterns it might formulate case-decriptions and the results of intervieews for the determination of two patterns of interaction between the state and NGOs working with disabled persons
The object of my study is the two non-governmental, non-profit organizations created as a result of grassroots movements. The first is KVPS (Service Foundation for People with Intellectual Disability) from Tampere, Finland and the second is the GAOORDI (Saint- Petersburg Association of Parents Disabled-Children) from Saint-Petersburg. They both engaged in the provision of social care services for people with disabilities.
The subject of my research is relations between charitable non-governmental organizations and state authorities in Russia and Finland.
The aim of this paper is to study the patterns of interaction between charitable NGOs working with disabled people and state authorities and to compare Russian and Finnish patterns while taking into account the context of austerity policy
The objectives are:
Theoretical
• To study different theoretical approaches describing and explaining the foundation of relations between the state authorities and NGO’s, phenomenon of work with disabled persons in Russia and Finland;
• to explore the phenomenon of “austerity policy” and describing the process of the economic recession’s impact on the welfare policies of Russia and Finland;
• to examine the legislative discourse of relations the state and third sector organizations in Russia and Finland;
Empirical
• to study the practical relations associated with interaction between the states and non-governmental organizations in Russia and Finland;
• to analyze the similarities and differences in the relations between NGOs working with disabled people and public authorities in Russia and Finland and reveal the main changes in economic conditions, associated with austerity policy;
• to study challenges, constraints and barriers faced with the investigated patterns of interaction and reveal the non-governmental respond;
• to analyze if NGOs are independent from states or not.
The major research question is: “What are the patterns of interaction between the states and NGOs working with disabled people, when Russia and Finland states are placed in the context of austerity policy in the era of neoliberalism nowadays?”
Methodology:
This investigation is based on several ideas describing and explaining the development of relations between the state authorities and NGOs, phenomena of disability and austerity policy. Nowadays the third sector institutions comprise a different organization structures working as neighborhood units, welfare-providers, civic associations, charitable foundations and providing the variety of benefits and services for the their members or clients. The large part of NGOs are involved in the provision of services for socially-vulnerable groups . It seems to me important to emphasize the particular work of civic institutes working with the people with different disabilities. The questions related to disability have very sharp, meaningful and practical nature.
These issues were investigated and widely-spread by Tossebro, Barnes, Ferguson and others. The general concept of scientists is to refrain a nature of disability in human experience, policy and services. According to them the disability is the problematic interaction between individual physiology or psychology and the recognition by the common society and further inclusion.
In addition, the Russian scientists as Jakobson and Miloslavskaya, Yarskaya-Smirnova pointed out that the grass-rooted NGOs are the most effective part among all organizations which focus on disabled people support. Such NGOs used to found by the group of activists deeply involving in the work of the organization because of their personal problems and life accidents. They interested in support for people with disability because many of them have been individually faced disabled persons or have a certain disability themselves.
A certain part of NGOs’ study is dedicated to the economic reasons of existence of the state-NGOs’ relations, such ideas as the inability of cover appropriate level of social protection by the national states and increase of the requirements of funding at the time of decrease of the state spending are used to spread by international institutions (World Bank, 2005) . The global economic recession happened in 2007 influenced on the mentioned organizations in each nation state. According to Salamon investigations there are similarities in the happened recessions in 1977-1984 and 2007. The specialty of the last crisis associated with shift of social obligations: countries are restructuring their welfare states and involving NGOs into the state provision of social services and protection clients’ welfare. Thus, they both become responsible for provision of social care and support for citizens. However, the further development of interaction might not be possible because of reduced state support and assistance for them in the different reasons. Arguing my interest, I would point this phenomena associated with economic recession impacting on certain actors of civil society in post-crisis is still attracting scientific interests. During my research, I would mention an emergence of articles regarding the economic pressure for the state-NGOs’ relations the in Europe. Such works are not aiming to investigation the real existence of austerity in countries but gave me a certain argument for the justification of my research in overall .
The core theoretical idea of my research is presented by the Gosta Esping-Andersen’s phenomenon of decomodification. The author’s phenomenon of decomodification is strengthening the citizen’s rights towards the common welfare obligations from the market dependency. But scientist didn’t mention non-governmental actors, so their participation in the decomodifiation is unclear .
Then, I refer to the Saskia Sasen’s idea of “the loosing the states’ sovereignty”. According to her, the free circulation of capital, goods, information, and services have impacted on deregulation the state’s control. The globalization under these conditions has entailed a partial denationalizing of the national territory and the shift of some components of state sovereignty to other institutions, from supranational entities in the global capital market.
The Sassen’s concept seems good to combine with the ideas of the social capital formulated by Bourdieu, Fukuyama and Putnam. The authors tend to frame social capital as a producer of "civic engagement" and also a broad societal measure of common health of the society. Fukuyama and Putnam’s works transform social capital from a resource possessed by individuals with an attribute of collectives, focusing on norms and trust as producers of social capital to the exclusion of networks.
According to scholars Ranta, Pestoff, Wijkstrom, Berggren, Tragard, Block and N. Golovin, I would note that the social capital represents the balance of common interests and can raise the social solidarity, trust between participants and homogeneity. This idea is used to characterize the relations of equality and unification between non-governmental organizations working with disabled people and the state authorities in the Nordic welfare states. Combining this approach to the Russian situation, I would refer to Lytkina’s notions of social capital and practices of social solidarity. According to her, the social capital does exist, but it doesn’t grow now. The social solidarity is very restricted by own individual and group citizen’s interests, so there are tendencies of its reduction .
It’s necessary to mention thoughts associated with the negative characterization of the state-NGOs relations. I mean an impact on social capital produced dysfunction of trust’ phenomenon. It took my attention to the negative effects of clientelism and corruption in the society presented by Papakostas .
The methodological basis of the conducting research consists of a combination of qualitative methods.
Methods of data collection are based on case-study research strategy - comparative detailed analysis of two cases. The first case is KVPS (Service Foundation for People with Intellectual Disability) from Tampere, Finland and the second is the GAOORDI (Saint- Petersburg Association of Non-governmental Organizations of Parents with Disabled-Children) from Saint-Petersburg. These organizations are clear examples of non-governmental non-profit organizations were created as a result of grassroots movements. They both engaged in the provision of social care services for people with disabilities, but their focus groups, destinations of work, relations with the public authorities, organizational structures of branches, sizes of organizations and possibilities are differed from each other.
In accordance the choice of case-study as a research strategy, the following methods will be used:
• document analysis (analysis of federal legislation of Finland, Russian federal and Saint-Petersburg’s legislation, especially social-legislative acts regulating forms of establishment, running of activities, forms of support, patterns of interaction)
• in-depth interviews of the heads of NGOs, specialists, civil servants, experts of the third sector, volunteers, clients of NGOs;
• semi-structured participant distinct observation of everyday work of the GAOORDI (Saint-Petersburg) and KVPS (Tampere).
Methods of analyzing data are based on comparative analysis of two cases of non-governmental organizations and provide a detail description of each study-case.
Expectations:
I would expect the evidence of certain change of the welfare state, such as the decrease of the state obligations and delegation part of the state service to non-governmental organizations working with disabled persons in both cases. From the Finnish case was expected to testify a mutual interaction of non-profit organizations and state bodies and further development of the state-non-governmental relations in comparison to Russian case. From the Russian case was expected to testify the paternalistic model of relations that is making worsen the situation with economic difficulties forced by austerity policy context.
Glossary
The following categories terms are used in the research:
Pattern of interaction - a reliable sample of certain actions formed by specific repeating regularities of actions between the state and non-governmental organizations. From the one side, such actions based on the official state’s position towards NGOs providing services for socially- vulnerable groups of citizens. From another side, these actions are laid on the NGOs’ ideas constructed from the practices of solidarities of an involved group of people. The patterns of interaction are usually shaped due to the state’s policy regarding administration of non-governmental sphere.
Third sector - a broad variety of the civil society’s organizations being both independent from the state and the market and playing an important role for civil society. NGO’s activities are ranging from neighborhood initiatives, professionalized umbrella organizations, and civic associations to advocacy networks, and charity foundations (Evers ).
Non-governmental organization (NGO) - institutional form that is not part of the government structure and doesn’t distribute own profits to their directors/heads or members. It also self-governing structure where the people take part in freely, without any compulsion (Salamon ).
Welfare state - a concept of the state’s governance where the state presents a key role in the protection and promotion of the social and economic well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life. Due to own characteristics of the principles of equality and spreading the common wealth, the welfare states are classified on liberal, social-democratic and conservative models (Esping- Andersen ).
Social democratic state - political form of the state whose goal is the gradual improvement of capitalism policy for approval of social justice among citizens. This state characterized by high levels of benefits and services provided by the state. This state opts to “take direct responsibility of caring for children, the aged and the socially vulnerable groups of people (Esping Andersen).
Economic recession -a marked slippage in economic activity, when the GPD, income, employment, industrial production, and sales are following a decline in the aggregate demand for at least two quarters of negative growth .
Austerity policy - official government measures during a period of enforced or extreme economy taken to reduce public spending, particularly in the areas of social welfare and public sector employment . The policy is associated with appropriate minimalism developed from the notions of existential scarcity and stern oversight that resonate with historical meanings of this word and its associations with self-discipline, thrift, and scarcity, but which also exhibit distinctively neoliberal inflections (Jamie Peck, 2015) .
Neoliberalization - an ideology presenting the decrease of governmental impact as the basis for the reinvigoration and development of private enterprise, free markets, and individual liberty and responsibility (Springer, Birch, MacLeavy, 2014) .
NGO’s internal and external resources - the different type of the economic and human investments accumulated due to the work of the organization.
People with special needs / disabled people - the socially-vulnerable group of people whose abilities or structure of the body has peculiarities of development and differ from common people, because of persistent disorder of body functions, entailing significant or complete incapacitation. Someone who is unable to use part of their body or brain properly because of injury or disease (Yarskaya-Smirnova ).
Structure of the paper:
The paper consists of the introduction, four chapters and conclusion. The first chapter is the theoretical one, it includes the analysis of the theoretical framework of the state-NGOs’ relations and the interpretations of social capital approach are considered for the determination egalitarian and paternalistic paterns of interaction. The second chapter focuses on analysis of participant observation on the Finnish case - Kehitysvammaisten Palvelusaatio, especially its dynamics of interaction between NGO and state actors. The third chapter focuses on the same participant observation of the Russian case - Saint-Petersburg Association of Non-governmental Organizations of Parents with Disabled Children. The forth chapter focuses on analysis of investigated patterns that helped me to elaborate the picture regarding patterns of interaction between mentioned actors in Russia and Finland in the context of austerity policy.
The recent study was aimed to answer the question: “What are the patterns of interaction between the states and NGOs working with disabled people, when Russia and Finland states are placed in the context of austerity policy in the era of neoliberalism nowadays?" During the research the question was tried to be solved through the comparative case studies of two non-governmental organizations working with disabled people - Service Foundation for People with an Intellectual Disability, Kehitysvammaisten Palvelusaatio and Saint-Petersburg Association of non-governmental organizations of parents with disabled children (GAOORDI). Both cases have established due to grassroots initiatives. Both of them present the certain functions in the provision of social benefits and shape the common picture of the welfare state in Finland and Russia.
The composition of theoretical ideas heading by the social capital theory was chosen as an appropriate theoretical framework for my research. In addition to that theory, there were analyzed phenomena of de-commodification produced by Esping-Andersen, loosing of state sovereignty by Sassen and the ideas of the new-public management theory complementing the used theoretical framework. Referring to social capital theory, the non-governmental organizations working with disabled people might be regarded as the social entities with the real possibilities of gaining social capital through the certain practices of solidarities with target groups. The key interpretations of social capital theory of Lytkina and Ranta, Pestoff, Wikstrom were taken for a basis. Lytkina’s challenges and problems describing the recent situation of the Russian state-NGOs’ relations might be referred to the picture of paternalistic relations between the state, civil society and its institutions. The ideas of Ranta, Pestoff and Wikstrom based on an equal distribution of state’s resources among all citizens, including the citizens with special needs and might be referred to the picture of egalitarian relations. The main key factors of theoretical framework were analyzed in the first chapter. Also, it was important to mention the phenomenon of de-commodification argued the notion of the spreading welfare benefits and social solidarity for socially-vulnerable groups of citizens. Also the phenomenon of losing state’s sovereignty shaped the actual reality of interaction by three components: territoriality of the global economy, the ascendance of governing cross-border transactions, virtualization of economic activity. These all-mentioned categories have been revealed due to the theoretical analysis as organizational features of the cases.
It was useful to identify and analyze the official rules for establishing and regulating the non-governmental organizations in Finland and Russia, because the usage of legislation refers to the real practices of the state and non-governmental actors’ work. Due to the analysis of the national contexts of the spheres of relations between NGOs and the state in Russia and Finland a range of formal rules regulating the emergence and functioning such actors have been investigated. There is no specific legislation, explaining the interaction between the state and NGOs, but there were analyzed formal requirements of possibilities and opportunities of NGOs behind the state and then compared with the grounded data of my field-work. The Finnish state and NGOs’ relations continue to follow the welfare state logic despite the tendencies of the marketization that can be traced through the market competition in the goods, competition in the tendering process and informal competition in ideas and thoughts between different non-governmental associations and organizations. The non-governmental organizations try to gain profit, establishing the good quality conditions for own workers and members of public groups, especially for vulnerable groups of society. The Finnish society is stable: according to my interviewees, the conditions of life people with disability are established as basics and cannot be changed and decreased. However, there are concerns about the immediate future and the changes in the financial allocation of funds.The Russian state and NGOs’ relations more associated with governmental corporatism logic. The dominance and control of this funding still belong to the state authorities. The previously existed form of funding through the state patronage has stopped for NGOs and does not exist. Nowadays the state is aimed to economy own sources, providing money for short-term activities, spreading sources efficiently and orienting them on the financial stability of the region or city. It forces to use the different sources from the business and public institutes. The increase of the state project-funding possibilities and emergence of new ideas of redistribution through the public tendering process have impacted on the grow of NGO’s dependence and orientation to the state institutions and establishing qualified and competitive, project oriented and short-term social service required by the state.
The analysis of economic conditions of both cases gave me an evidence about the lack of austerity policy: the shortage of the Finnish state obligations and cutting social costs towards NGOs are more associated with redistribution of the state sources related to the neoliberalism features framed by the new public management policy. The phenomena of reduction and redistribution of the state financing in the Russian case establish alternative ways to provide the state services presented the existence new public management policy rather than austerity context into the relations between the state and non-governmental organizations working with the disabled people. The data analysis testified partial NGOs’ adaptation to the new possibilities of the social service provision and getting support for it.
The new public management policy recognized through the several arguments, the first one is the reduction and redistribution of the state social costs. The second argument is the increase of shared responsibilities with the non-governmental organizations. The third argument emergence of alternative service delivery system. Such reformation impacts on the establishment market competition in the social service sphere. The NPM policy is based on neoliberal market tendencies and particular obligations of providing the state social responsibilities from service¬providers to clients with disabilities. In overall, such kind of policy associated with the austerity measures force NGOs and the state authorities to react on them.
In the fourth chapter the analysis of the investigated patterns of interactions is done through the comparative analysis of the state-NGOs' interactions in Finland and Russia.
The considered modes of relations with the state and non-governmental actors represent examples of paternalistic and egalitarian patterns of interactions in working with the social problems based on the shared values and interest among the representatives of socially- vulnerable groups of the population - persons with disabilities.
The analysis confirms the dominance of paternalistic patterns of interaction in Russian case. Despite of the paternalistic dominance, I would mention the existence of mutual ways of interaction through the following form as the exchange of information and consultation support happened independently from the state and used by both investigated actors. Such practices of interaction present mutual relations with the state. Concluding about the relations in the Russian case, I would add that such process is more associated with the state desire of usage of socially- oriented non-profit organizations as instruments for provision social obligations. At the same time there is an imposing of market relations in the social sphere by the state’s efforts.
Regarding the Finnish case there were investigated mutual ways of interaction with commercialization of social sphere, personalization of the clients’ needs and capabilities, equalization of the state structures and non-profit sector and further competition based on market principles for the provision of certain kinds of social services. The public tendering regulations positively impact on the Finnish economy by saving the state funds, but at the same moment it leads to a possible decline in the quality of social services and decrease of the welfare commitments.
The composition of theoretical ideas heading by the social capital theory was chosen as an appropriate theoretical framework for my research. In addition to that theory, there were analyzed phenomena of de-commodification produced by Esping-Andersen, loosing of state sovereignty by Sassen and the ideas of the new-public management theory complementing the used theoretical framework. Referring to social capital theory, the non-governmental organizations working with disabled people might be regarded as the social entities with the real possibilities of gaining social capital through the certain practices of solidarities with target groups. The key interpretations of social capital theory of Lytkina and Ranta, Pestoff, Wikstrom were taken for a basis. Lytkina’s challenges and problems describing the recent situation of the Russian state-NGOs’ relations might be referred to the picture of paternalistic relations between the state, civil society and its institutions. The ideas of Ranta, Pestoff and Wikstrom based on an equal distribution of state’s resources among all citizens, including the citizens with special needs and might be referred to the picture of egalitarian relations. The main key factors of theoretical framework were analyzed in the first chapter. Also, it was important to mention the phenomenon of de-commodification argued the notion of the spreading welfare benefits and social solidarity for socially-vulnerable groups of citizens. Also the phenomenon of losing state’s sovereignty shaped the actual reality of interaction by three components: territoriality of the global economy, the ascendance of governing cross-border transactions, virtualization of economic activity. These all-mentioned categories have been revealed due to the theoretical analysis as organizational features of the cases.
It was useful to identify and analyze the official rules for establishing and regulating the non-governmental organizations in Finland and Russia, because the usage of legislation refers to the real practices of the state and non-governmental actors’ work. Due to the analysis of the national contexts of the spheres of relations between NGOs and the state in Russia and Finland a range of formal rules regulating the emergence and functioning such actors have been investigated. There is no specific legislation, explaining the interaction between the state and NGOs, but there were analyzed formal requirements of possibilities and opportunities of NGOs behind the state and then compared with the grounded data of my field-work. The Finnish state and NGOs’ relations continue to follow the welfare state logic despite the tendencies of the marketization that can be traced through the market competition in the goods, competition in the tendering process and informal competition in ideas and thoughts between different non-governmental associations and organizations. The non-governmental organizations try to gain profit, establishing the good quality conditions for own workers and members of public groups, especially for vulnerable groups of society. The Finnish society is stable: according to my interviewees, the conditions of life people with disability are established as basics and cannot be changed and decreased. However, there are concerns about the immediate future and the changes in the financial allocation of funds.The Russian state and NGOs’ relations more associated with governmental corporatism logic. The dominance and control of this funding still belong to the state authorities. The previously existed form of funding through the state patronage has stopped for NGOs and does not exist. Nowadays the state is aimed to economy own sources, providing money for short-term activities, spreading sources efficiently and orienting them on the financial stability of the region or city. It forces to use the different sources from the business and public institutes. The increase of the state project-funding possibilities and emergence of new ideas of redistribution through the public tendering process have impacted on the grow of NGO’s dependence and orientation to the state institutions and establishing qualified and competitive, project oriented and short-term social service required by the state.
The analysis of economic conditions of both cases gave me an evidence about the lack of austerity policy: the shortage of the Finnish state obligations and cutting social costs towards NGOs are more associated with redistribution of the state sources related to the neoliberalism features framed by the new public management policy. The phenomena of reduction and redistribution of the state financing in the Russian case establish alternative ways to provide the state services presented the existence new public management policy rather than austerity context into the relations between the state and non-governmental organizations working with the disabled people. The data analysis testified partial NGOs’ adaptation to the new possibilities of the social service provision and getting support for it.
The new public management policy recognized through the several arguments, the first one is the reduction and redistribution of the state social costs. The second argument is the increase of shared responsibilities with the non-governmental organizations. The third argument emergence of alternative service delivery system. Such reformation impacts on the establishment market competition in the social service sphere. The NPM policy is based on neoliberal market tendencies and particular obligations of providing the state social responsibilities from service¬providers to clients with disabilities. In overall, such kind of policy associated with the austerity measures force NGOs and the state authorities to react on them.
In the fourth chapter the analysis of the investigated patterns of interactions is done through the comparative analysis of the state-NGOs' interactions in Finland and Russia.
The considered modes of relations with the state and non-governmental actors represent examples of paternalistic and egalitarian patterns of interactions in working with the social problems based on the shared values and interest among the representatives of socially- vulnerable groups of the population - persons with disabilities.
The analysis confirms the dominance of paternalistic patterns of interaction in Russian case. Despite of the paternalistic dominance, I would mention the existence of mutual ways of interaction through the following form as the exchange of information and consultation support happened independently from the state and used by both investigated actors. Such practices of interaction present mutual relations with the state. Concluding about the relations in the Russian case, I would add that such process is more associated with the state desire of usage of socially- oriented non-profit organizations as instruments for provision social obligations. At the same time there is an imposing of market relations in the social sphere by the state’s efforts.
Regarding the Finnish case there were investigated mutual ways of interaction with commercialization of social sphere, personalization of the clients’ needs and capabilities, equalization of the state structures and non-profit sector and further competition based on market principles for the provision of certain kinds of social services. The public tendering regulations positively impact on the Finnish economy by saving the state funds, but at the same moment it leads to a possible decline in the quality of social services and decrease of the welfare commitments.