Co-producing migrant integration services during challenging times
From 2020-2021, I undertook research on the adaptation of migrant integration services provided by non-profit organizations in Montreal, Quebec and Glasgow, Scotland during the COVID-19 crisis. The research considers how non-profits are changing their services (moving online, cancelling events and activities, changing the way they work with service users), the challenges they face during the pandemic, and how the co-production of services with service users is challenged and modified.
Publications from this research:
“Faire Ensemble: La co-création des actions communautaires”
Comment collaborent les intervenants et les citoyen.ne.s dans le design et la réalisation de projets de développement social local ? Quelles sont les motivations pour la co-création des actions ? Quel est l’impact du contexte local pour rendre cela possible ou l’empêcher ? Et qu’est-ce qu’on peut apprendre sur la manière de mieux collaborer ?
Le projet de recherche visait à étudier la collaboration des intervenants (travaillant dans le secteur communautaire) et des citoyen.ne.s dans la prise de décision, le design et la réalisation des actions communautaires/ projets de développement social, autrement dit ‘co-création’ ou ‘co-production’. Cela fait partie d’une étude comparative entre la France, l’Angleterre et le Québec.
Publications from this research:
Co-production and sustainability: How do co-production projects evolve over time?
Funded by a Small Research Grant from the American Political Science Association, this research project aims to investigate the continuity and change of co-production, and the factors that facilitate the long-term sustainability of co-production projects over time. By undertaking two longitudinal case studies (a project to reduce older people’s loneliness, and a parents’ group project), the project develops a framework to help public servants and other practitioners design co-production that endures in the face of funding changes, environmental turbulence and participant turnover.
PhD dissertation: Co-production and the third sector: A comparative study of England and France
My thesis explores co-production between citizens and third sector professionals (in community regeneration, parents’ organizations, and older people’s services) in Sheffield, England and Lyon, France. I employ an analytical framework of institutional logics to explore how the rules, practices and narratives of the organizations are specific to their contexts and how these shape co-production practices. The study finds that while the Sheffield organizations are characterized by an assimilation of the state, community and market logics, the Lyon organizations demonstrate a blend of a ‘Napoleonic state’ logic, and a ‘local solidarity’ logic. These combinations of logics illuminate two approaches to co-production. In France, co-production is informed by notions of citizenship, solidarity and participative democracy, leading to a greater focus on citizen involvement in organizational governance and influence of rules as an enabler and constraint to co-production. In Sheffield, co-production is seen as a way to improve communities, services and outcomes, and we therefore see more pragmatic attention to co-design and co-delivery activities.
Financial mechanisms for innovative social and solidarity economy ecosystems
Quebec researcher, International Labour Organization (2018-2019)
The project considers the following questions:
What elements (actors, the relationships, etc.) make up an innovative social and solidarity economy (SSE) ecosystem?
What are the specificities of the SSE that require distinct and dedicated financial mechanisms?
What financial mechanisms exist within these ecosystems that allow the SSE organizations and enterprises to grow and innovate? What conditions are required for these ecosystems to be fully effective?
Final case study report:
“Financial mechanisms for innovative social and solidarity economy ecosystems: The case of Quebec”
The role of mutuals in public service innovation
Research Assistant, Middlesex University (2012 – 2014)
There is growing interest in the role of social enterprise and mutual spin outs from the public sector, where staff leave the public sector to set up their own staff and user owned organisation. By looking at ‘mutual spin outs’ this two year project was able to see how innovation occurs and what effect there is on services and staff. Encouraging mutuals is a key feature of the Government’s public service reform agenda, although little is known about the potential new services and ways of doing things that may emerge. Research focused on the health and social care sector and compared recently set up spin-outs with similar more established organisations in the leisure sector, a sector which went through major reform in the 1990s.
Publications from this research:
Dr. Caitlin McMullin 