Evidence-Based Policy Engagement of Social Welfare Non-Governmental Organisations: A Case Study on the Democratic Relevance of Caritas Switzerland's Data Ecosystem

Rulla Sutter () and Oliver Hümbelin ()

No 61, University of Bern Social Sciences Working Papers from University of Bern, Department of Social Sciences

Abstract: The challenges of the COVID-19 era, rising inflation, and global disruptions, combined with increasingly restrictive social welfare regimes, have created a growing demand for quick and low-threshold support provided by social welfare NGOs. These organisations are uniquely positioned to connect street-level social work insights from the poverty line with macro-level policy debates – a role with significant democratic potential to amplify the voices of people experiencing poverty. This article presents a mixed-methods single-case study of the largest SWNGO in Switzerland, combining a systematic assessment of its data ecosystem with insights from 18 semi-structured interviews and focus groups across organisational levels. It argues that investments in robust, ethically governed data systems can strengthen NGOs' democratic role and increase their impact on poverty reduction. We identify seven distinct data types that generate valuable insights into poverty dynamics. However, a key organisational tension persists between the strategic imperative of well-managed data and the limited resources available for case management documentation. The article concludes that high-quality data can significantly enhance evidence-based policy advocacy. Data ecosystems in SWNGOs should therefore be recognised as essential democratic infrastructure in efforts to combat poverty.

Keywords: NGO; democracy; digitalisation; evidence-based policy advocacy; poverty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 D33 H55 L31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27 pages
Date: 2026-03-05
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://repec.sowi.unibe.ch/files/wp61/Sutter-Huembelin-2026-swngos.pdf First version, 2026 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bss:wpaper:61

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in University of Bern Social Sciences Working Papers from University of Bern, Department of Social Sciences
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Ben Jann ().