Research Project

To pursue their activities, Human Service Organisations depended on resources such as those provided by state authorities/institutions (both central, regional, and local), international donor organisations, philanthropic support from foundations and individuals (domestic or international), or they engage in commercial activities to support their work. However, war and military conflict provide specific challenges for such organisations, specifically their ability to balance their general aims of delivering services such as welfare or health with influencing policy and ensuring their own (economic) sustainability. Therefore, understanding how HSOs fare, adapt, or emerge during war and military conflict provides important insight for stakeholders, such as national and international policymakers, donors, or activists. This research project sheds light and insight into this area by studying how human service organisations (HSOs) have/had to change during the ongoing war in Ukraine. The core research question explored in this project is how HSOs ensure they are seen as legitimate societal actors and, in turn, enable all of the above. To examine this question, the project pursues three aims:

• To examine human service organisations' activities.

• To advance the understanding of organisational legitimation processes of human service organisations.

• To explore human service organisations' impact on societal issues/concerns.

To achieve these aims, the project will implement a qualitative approach that allows both HSOs and stakeholders to get involved.