Meta‐governance and network formation in collaborative spaces of uncertainty: The case of Swedish refugee integration policy
| Published date | 01 June 2017 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12310 |
| Author | Martin Qvist |
| Date | 01 June 2017 |
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Meta-governance and network formation in
collaborative spaces of uncertainty: The case of
Swedish refugee integration policy
Martin Qvist
Department of Political Science, Stockholm
University, Sweden
Correspondence
Martin Qvist, Department of Political Science,
Stockholm University, Sweden
Email: martin.qvist@statsvet.su.se.
This article examines the relationship between a meta-governing
role of government and processes of network formation, based on
a study of a governance initiative for improvement of refugee
‘activation’services in Sweden. Meta-governance is centred on
supporting the development of self-regulatory capacity within dis-
cretionary spaces of action and has, so far, primarily been associ-
ated with a specific type of interdependency-driven networks. This
article focuses on an alternative scenario, where uncertainty under
such governance arrangements, rather than interdependence,
becomes the driver of network formation. The relevance of this
‘uncertainty approach’is demonstrated in the Swedish case, where
meta-governance resulted in networks that were formed on the
basis of identification rather than organizational complementarity,
and contributed to increasing homogenization rather than local
adaption of activation services. The result suggests that theories
of meta-governance should include a more diversified understand-
ing of network responses.
1|INTRODUCTION
In Europe, and in other parts of the world, there is a trend towards policies of ‘activation’in the areas of employ-
ment and social policy. The notion of activation is based on the idea of providing flexible, individualized and tailor-
made services in order to address complex problems of social exclusion and long-term unemployment (see
e.g. Valkenburg 2007; Newman and Clarke 2009; Van Berkel et al. 2011). Recognizing that the necessary resources
are spread among multiple actors, both public and private, the idea has been to create synergies and innovation
through collaboration. The intention is to set in motion certain types of network processes where actors with com-
plementary resources and competences combine their efforts in the development of activation services (Lindsay
et al. 2008; Damgaard and Torfing 2011; Van Berkel et al. 2011, pp. 10–11).
These ambitions reflect the wider reform trend of promoting the creation of ‘governance networks’, formed on
the basis of resource interdependencies that arise in complex and cross-cutting policy issues (see e.g. Kickert
DOI 10.1111/padm.12310
498 © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltdwileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/padmPublic Administration. 2017;95:498–511.
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