| Summary: | The purpose of this study is to find out how the non-governmental shelters for battered women identify themselves in context of their dependence and cooperation with the municipality. Their legitimacy is also investigated which is based on, along with identity, key concepts of the neoinstitutional organization theory. The mutual dependency between these two actors is problematized along with the question of who is responsible for assisting the battered women, and who takes on the responsibilities for them. The empirical result that is analyzed was gathered through three qualitative semi structured interviews with employed personnel at three different battered women’s shelters in three different municipalities in Sweden. Further, three qualitative semi structured interviews was held with a representative from the social services offices in those same municipalities. The results show that although the interaction between the battered women’s shelters and the municipalities vary a bit, all the battered women’s shelters are dependent on the municipalities in which they function for economic resources. It appears in the interviews that there is a mutual dependency whereas the social services rely on the knowledge and experiences the battered women’s shelters have gathered through the years, along with the low cost volunteer workers bring the organization.
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