Faith in Public Service: An Institutional Logics Perspective on Religious Inspired Solidarity Initiatives and Governmental Engagement

• In Event: Civic Participation and Co-creation of Governance

Abstract

Despite the secularization of contemporary Western societies, in which the state takes over as the primary provider of social services, the continued impact and role of religiously inspired organizations and initiatives (RSIs) should not be underestimated. These organizations are present globally and play an important role in providing social services, building communities, and improving access to services or advocacy. RSIs vary widely in structure, size, scope and mission. They function at the local level and in broader translocal networks. RSIs provide support and assistance to meet the unique needs of various groups, such as children, youth, elderly, homeless people, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants (Beaumont & Cloke, 2012, Crisp, 2017). Some studies even state that RSIs replace the traditional welfare services especially when they substitute the work of the welfare state or other civil society actors while caring for people in need (Kahl, 2005; Beaumont & Cloke, 2012).
In this contribution we elaborate on the relationship between RSIs and the (local) government. Using in-depth interviews with actors from RSIs and the local government, and participant observations, we investigate the relationship in three cities in Flanders, Belgium. We adopt an institutional logic approach to theorize the relationship between RSIs and local governments. Institutional logics perspective as stated by Thornton et al. (2012) are the symbols and practices, along with their underlying assumptions, values and beliefs that help individuals attach meaning to the daily activities within particular social settings. They are supra-organizational and abstract but they become observable in the concrete social relations of actors who utilize, manipulate and reinterpret them (Skelcher & Smith, 2015). In our interviews and participant observation, we focus on the concrete social relations of the actors. This is important, because how individuals make sense of their social environment and understand the social system they are operating in, is thought to shape the goals they choose, the identities they claim, and the symbols they adopt to enact them. In the case of RSIs this is formed by the religious inspiration of the organisation or initiative. The construction of these (religiously inspired) definitions, rules, and expectations makes an institutional logic unfold, shift, and evolve at the field level, so to do the organizational structures and processes within the (secularized) field that enact them (Thornton, 2002; Beagles, 2022).
Our study shows that the relationship between RSIs and local governments is characterized by a complex interplay of multiple factors, such as mutual awareness, established networks, and trust. Initially, cooperation seems to work well, but the interviews show that coping mechanisms and adjustments are made on both sides of the relationship to mitigate the clashes between different logics. Despite (previous) successful collaborations, prejudices persist and negatively impact the perceived professionalism and intentions of RSIs.
Using an institutional logics approach, we examine the challenges, coping mechanisms and strategies of the institutional logics of the government and RSIs and provide valuable insights into the adaptive strategies employed by RSIs and a deeper understanding of the dynamics between religiously inspired initiatives and the government.

References

References

Beagles, J.E. (2022) Institutional logics and the multiorganizational governance arrangements of humanitarian INGOs. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 33(1): 131-155.
Beaumont, J., & Cloke, P. (eds.). (2012). Faith-based organisations and exclusion in European cities. Polity.
Crisp, B., (2017). The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Spirituality and Social Work. New York: Routledge.
Kahl, S. (2005). The Religious roots of modern poverty policy: Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed Protestant traditions compared. European Journal of sociaology. 46(1), 91-126.
Skelcher, C. & Smith, S.R. (2015). Theorizing hybridity: Institutional logics, complex organizations and actor identities: The case of nonprofits. Public administration 93(2): 433-448.
Thorthon, P.H., Ocasio, W. & Lounsbury, M. (2012). The institutional logics perspective: a new approach to culture, structure and process. OUP, Oxford.

Authors

• Sarah Maes

• Peter Raeymaeckers, University of Antwerp

• Mieke Schrooten, University of Antwerp, Center for Research on Environmental and Social Change

• Bert Broeckaert, KU Leuven