Self-organization, Support and Integration. Case of Displaced Ukrainians in Finland

In the recent months the whole world has been observing largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the World War II. Russia’s invasion in Ukraine has forced over 5.6 million of people to flee their homes and seek protection abroad (90% in the European Union (EU) countries, incl. 20000 in Finland) (Darvas, 2022), while earlier attack in Donbas and Crimea annexation resulted in 1,8 million internally displaced and over 300 thousand who left the country (Piotrowicz 2018). The objective of this project is to research an underexplored context; organizing the business environment changing under the extreme conditions of armed geopolitical conflict. Specifically, we explore the economic intentions and motivations of displaced people fleeing from the war in Ukraine. We will explore how displaced Ukrainians understand their possibilities for integrating with the economy of the receiving host countries, focusing on Finland. To do so, we draw on three different research traditions: 1) refugee studies, 2) community and 3) strategic resilience. We engage with refugee studies in order to develop a bottom-up understanding of displaced people’s own perception of economic self-actualization. Then we will look at strategic resilience of the Finnish businesses, and ability to renew itself in the face of global geopolitical challenge. This understanding will provide guidelines on how to exercise opportunities arising. Specifically, we will address opportunities available for Finnish companies through involvement in support for displaced people to self-organize their lives through e.g. access to jobs, entrepreneurship or education for Ukrainians, at the same time access to workforce, talent pool that exist among those who moved to Ukraine.