Ansvarsfördelning i teori och praktik. En implementeringsstudie av mottagandet av ensamkommande flyktingbarn i Sverige

Sammanfattning: This case study explores the question of implementation and steering in a society of governance. As an empirical example, a reform concerning the reception of separated refugee children in Sweden is used. As of the 1st of July 2006 the responsibility for providing housing for separated children lies with the local governments rather than with the Swedish Board of Migration, aiming to improve the children's situation. However, implementing this amendment has turned out to be a harder task than expected. Traditionally, the relationship between state and local actors is seen in terms of state steering or local self-government. However, by focusing on the interdependence between the actors, new insights can be found. In the concluding chapter it is argued that a hierarchical state-centric view of the process is obsolete and that the state no longer can rely on traditional steering instruments to achieve its goals. The analysis of the theoretical and empirical material, combined with interviews with central actors, points to the importance of new tools like interaction, cooperation, dialogue and negotiations. The study concludes that this alternative approach may be a way of bridging the divide between theory and practice, and avoiding implementation gaps in the future.