CIVIC CULTURES AND DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION CIVIC CULTURES AND DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION Erik Amnå YeS – Youth & Society Örebro University, Sweden

WORK PACKAGE # 10 Civil society’s role in promoting citizenship among non EU-citizens Good practices from Sweden, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Italy

THE STUDY Inteviews with 23 NGOs Two policy fields ◦ Anti-discrimination ◦ Refugees and asylum seekers Different political contexts/welfare regimes ◦ Sweden ◦ Great Britain ◦ The Netherlands ◦ Italy ”Good practices” – ordinary organisations´ experiences

SEGBNLIT Anti- discriminati on Humanitas Young Against Racism Newham Monitor Project Meldpunkt Dicriminatie Amsterdam BDHMH Cospe SOS Razzismo Atas Refugees Asylum seekers SIOS Red Cross Simba Rosen- grenska Ethiopian Community Center Roma Support Group Race Equality Foundation North of England Refugee Service Mira Media Pharos UAF – The Foundation for Refugee Students Amsterdam Solidariteits Komitee Vluchtelingen Cestim Associazione Studi Giuridici sull’ Immigrazione

Delivered societal utilities 1. Services  Health care, legal aid, information, employment, networks, education, pronounced rights 2. Watch dog  Advocacy, representing non EU-citizens 3. Opinion formation  Review and critique, information, unofficial statistics, voice to marginalized groups 4. Mediation  Individuals – authorities  Between authorities

Preconditions Financial resources Personell resources Organisational resources

Financial resources Lack of funds – greatest NGO weakness National and local public funding  Most important NGO income  Promotes cooperation with governments  Legitimizes and de-legitimizes NGOs EU funding  Genereal weak contacts with EU institutions  Primarily an option for large NGOs

Organisational resources Inter-organisational learning  Smaller organisations, less attention Importing strengths from each other ◦ NGO adaptation and flexibility facilitated through network organization  Cooperation with national governments and the EU

Personell resources Target groups  Receiver of aid – experts and assistants Volunteers  More directly crucial for smaller NGOs Members  Ambigious role (due to selection of NGOs?) Professionals  Important for big as well as small NGOs External key persons  Politicians, experts

Reflections on NGO policies Diversity of civil society  Challenges and strengthens European standardization? Financing  Ear-marked funding may jeopardize NGOs’ internal work and priorities  EU funding perceived as complicated European funding favours strong NGOs NGO as policy initiator & implementator  Uncritical self-understanding in GB & NL  Doubtful attitude in SE

Policy implications 1.Create more participatory opportunities! 2.Be aware of diversity among NGOs – and across political contexts! 3.How can locked relationships where states and NGOs get stuck on each other be changed and altered? 4.Is the ’Active Citizen’ Policy of EU and its member states trustworthy as long as they hand over the realisation of basic citizen rights to NGO´s of various capacities? 5.Public institutions influence NGOs and civic culture – not only the other way around!