Institutional Competing Logics: Local Context vs. National Identity in United Way Systems

在这个项目中，主要研究人员将检查作为高度制度化的国家系统中自上而下努力的一部分而发生的地方差异。制度理论认为，地方组织将采用新的国家做法，以在其更大的活动领域保持合法性，从而导致组织同质化；然而，人们对地方机构在形成替代性地方对策方面的作用越来越感兴趣。因此，本地组织可能只与更广泛的变更工作松散地耦合。调查人员将探索在过去十年中，作为社区影响的一部分，当地联合劝募系统发生了多大程度的变化，以及这种变化如何与不断变化的社区逻辑和资源环境相关联。就更广泛的影响而言，这项研究在当前持续的经济衰退期间尤为重要，因为面对严峻的经济挑战，组织可能面临越来越大的压力来解决国家合法性和当地资源需求之间的紧张关系。这项研究的结果可能会促进对制度化系统变化的实际理解。此外，研究小组将创建一个公开可用的分层数据库，与联合之路系统内所有当地的联合之路及其所资助的非营利组织所处的社区背景相匹配。这一资产将对其他研究人员有价值。

In this project the Principal Investigators will examine the local variation that occurs as part of a top-down effort within a highly institutionalized national system. Institutional theory suggests that local organizations will adopt new national practices to remain legitimate in their larger field of activity, leading to organizational homogeneity; however there is growing interest in the role of local institutions in shaping alternative local responses. As a result local organizations may remain only loosely coupled to broader change efforts. The investigators will explore to what extent change has occurred in local United Way systems over the last decade as part of the move to Community Impact and how such change is associated with shifting community logics and resource environments. In terms of broader impacts, this research is particularly important during the current sustained recession because in the face of severe economic challenges organizations may face increased pressures to resolve the tensions between national legitimacy and local resource demands. The results of the study will potentially advance practical understanding about change in institutionalized systems. Also, the research team will create a publicly available hierarchical database that matches all local United Ways within the United Way system and the community contexts in which they are embedded to the nonprofits that they fund. This asset will be of value to other researchers.