Scholars have shown that foreign aid projects reconfigure social relations and political institutions, but projects are a novel form of governance that has significant social and political effects in other national and transnational contexts. My argument is based on seventeen months of ethnographic research at nonprofit organizations that work with youth in Lithuania. These organizations operate primarily through projects, which are publicly or privately financed initiatives open to competition. Individuals who are part of the project system get recruited into social roles and adopt terminology linked to European Union and transnational discourses. The project system transforms institutional relations, as organizations orient toward multiple sources of financing at different national and international levels, and prompts individuals to reconceptualize their activities as apolitical project work. Project governance, which is based on competition and short‐term initiatives, aligns with and reinforces some features of neoliberalism. However, individuals have complex and sometimes contradictory orientations to neoliberalism in that they also critique the state and the transnational project system. Projects not only highlight transformations of the political economy but also provide new resources to resist state withdrawal and aspects of neoliberalism.

中文翻译：

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外国援助之外的项目治理：在立陶宛调解新自由主义

学者们已经表明，外国援助项目重新配置了社会关系和政治机构，但是项目是一种新颖的治理形式，在其他国家和跨国环境中具有重大的社会和政治影响。我的论点是基于与立陶宛青年合作的非营利组织开展的十七个月的人种志研究。这些组织主要通过项目运作，这些项​​目是由公共或私人资助的具有竞争性的计划。作为项目系统一部分的个人被招募为社会角色，并采用与欧盟和跨国话语相关的术语。随着组织面向不同国家和国际层面的多种资金来源，项目系统改变了机构关系，并促使个人将其活动重新概念化为非政治项目工作。基于竞争和短期举措的项目治理与新自由主义的某些特征保持一致并得到加强。但是，个人对新自由主义有复杂的，有时是矛盾的方向，因为他们也批评国家和跨国项目体系。这些项目不仅突出了政治经济的变革，而且还提供了新的资源来抵抗国家的退出和新自由主义的各个方面。个人对新自由主义有复杂的，有时是矛盾的取向，因为他们也批评国家和跨国项目体系。这些项目不仅突出了政治经济的变革，而且还提供了新的资源来抵抗国家的退出和新自由主义的各个方面。个人对新自由主义有复杂的，有时是矛盾的取向，因为他们也批评国家和跨国项目体系。这些项目不仅突出了政治经济的变革，而且还提供了新的资源来抵抗国家的退出和新自由主义的各个方面。