So, What Are We? Redefining the role of Swedish Civil Society in the Context of the 2024 Swedish Aid Reform

Sammanfattning

Swedish development aid has recently undergone a major transformation, shifting from a historically expansive commitment to international development aid toward a more geopolitically oriented policy emphasizing regional proximity, migration management, and reduced overall spending. As part of the 2024 Sida reform, long-term agreements with seventeen Swedish civil society organizations (CSOs) were terminated, significantly reshaping the relationship between the Swedish state and civil society within development cooperation. Addressing this gap, this thesis asks: How do the Swedish government and Swedish CSOs discursively construct the role of civil society in development aid in the context of the 2024 Sida reform? Guided by an interpretivist epistemology and a qualitative research design, the study conducts a discourse analysis of government documents, reform agendas, debate articles, open letters, and public statements produced during 2024. The analysis draws on Discursive Institutionalism supported by Organizational Legitimacy Theory. The findings show that the Swedish government and CSOs construct fundamentally different understandings of the role and legitimacy of civil society in development cooperation. Government discourse emphasizes efficiency, accountability, measurable results, and alignment with state-defined priorities, whereas CSOs frame civil society in terms of solidarity, democratic values, long-term partnerships, and responsibility toward vulnerable populations and local partners. The study demonstrates how the 2024 Sida reform reflects a broader institutional renegotiation of civil society's role within Swedish development aid.