Erik Sjöstrand

During my studies for a Master of Science in Business Administration at Stockholm School of Economics I started working in the Civil Society Research Program the Centre for Management and Organization at SSE as a research assistant in 2009. In my master thesis I analysed the funding in three CSO in the social field and developed a model for analysing and understand how different forms of funding can influence the work and ideas of an organization. Since 2010 I am PhD Student in Business Administration at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE).

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS The main focal point in my research is in which way grants, and the format of the grants, given from government affects the life and work of organizations in the civil society. I first want to understand how very general directive given by the government transforms into actual money given to the organizations. Where and how are these “negotiations” in this process taking place? Who are the parties involved? Secondly, I aim to understand in which way the organizations and their objectives are affected by these grants. How are their operations affected? In which way do the grants control or affect the priorities of the organizations? The empirical material for this study is governmental grants given to sport associations through the Swedish Sports Federation (Riksidrottsförbundet) and grant given to Swedish popular study organizations and folk high schools through The Swedish National Council of Adult Education (Folkbildningsrådet).

Grant making strategies in the savings banks foundations. I am also currently working on a project that aims at exploring the grant making processes and strategies among the Swedish savings bank foundations. We have been granted access to 10 years of applications, denials and grants from three different foundations and are aiming at creating a tentative typology.