The Governance paradox in Work Integration Social Enterprises: On the folly of measuring output while hoping for impact

Nyambura Waweru (), Nanna Gillberg () and Maria Norbäck ()
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Nanna Gillberg: Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University, Postal: Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University, Box 640, SE 40530 Göteborg, Sweden
Maria Norbäck: Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University, Postal: Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University, Box 640, SE 40530 Göteborg, Sweden

No 2026-423, FE rapport from University of Gothenburg, Department of Business Administration

Abstract: This paper examines how social impact measurement in Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) functions as a mechanism of public value governance within the Swedish wel fare state. Drawing on Public Value Theory and public governance scholarship, it reconceptualises impact measurement as a governance practice through which public value is defined and prioritised. Based on analysis of Swedish policy frameworks, procurement requirements, reporting systems, and co-creation material from the Women4Integration project, the study shows that Swedish WISEs operate in conditions of measurement abundance rather than scarcity. Overlapping evaluation regimes tied to labour-market policies, procurement, and project fundingproduce fragmented, audience-specific accounts of impact that prioritise short-term employment outcomes over long-term capability development and social integration. The paper argues that fragmented governance, rather than methodological insufficiency, underlies current measurement challenges.

Keywords: Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs); social impact measurement; public value governance; hybridity; welfare state; Sweden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2026-09-01
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