The refugee resettlement and assistance system has been viewed as an under-organized domain characterized by uncertainty pertaining to government regulation, policy, and financial cost. The scope and complexity of the refugee crisis call for collaboration among different actors. The dual nature of being under-organized and the need for collaboration thus questions how to effectively organize different stakeholders. This research specifically focuses on the role of refugee-serving nonprofits as they navigate the landscape of diverging public opinions and provide key services such as housing, health, language training, social welfare, advocacy, and employment training.

In this talk, Rong Wang will explore how nonprofits in the U.S. perceive and navigate government support, and how they are organizing themselves to provide support for refugees and immigrants. Based on interviews with nonprofit leaders, the research proposes a typology of government support to illustrate the complexities faced by nonprofit organizations that provide refugee services. This typology demonstrates how these nonprofits navigate the intersection of government policy, political dynamics, and community-level support as they work to assist vulnerable refugee populations. In addition, the findings reveal that nonprofits enacted resilience by responding quickly to environmental changes, activating community support, and channeling backlash into resistance against federal immigration policies.

Dr. Wang (USC Annenberg PhD 2016) is an assistant professor in the Department of Human and Organizational Development (HOD) at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Always an advocate for a network approach, Dr. Wang researches collective action, open collaboration, and inter-organizational alliances that are designed to achieve collective goals. Her research examines the intersection of technology, networks, and social impact. At HOD, Dr. Wang directs the Network Dynamics for Social Change lab where she works with a team of undergraduate and graduate students to investigate how to scale impact for a variety of organizations and coalitions. Dr. Wang’s research has been published in top-tier communication and nonprofit journals, including Communication Monographs, Management Communication Quarterly, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and Business + Society.