Abstract
Although industrialized nations have long provided public protection to working-age individuals with disabilities, the form has changed over time. The impetus for change has been multi-faceted: rapid growth in program costs; greater awareness that people with impairments are able and willing to work; and increased recognition that protecting the economic security of people with disabilities might best be done by keeping them in the labor market. Here we describe the evolution of disability programs in four countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States. We show how growth in the receipt of publically provided disability benefits has fluctuated over time and discuss how policy choices played a role. Based on our descriptive comparative analysis we summarize shared experiences that potentially benefit policymakers in all countries.
Highlights
All industrialized nations provide some form of public protection to working-age individuals with disabilities
We describe the evolution of disability programs in four countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States
The fluid nature of the disability category has meant that changes to disability policy parameters such as who is covered for program benefits, the level of benefits – both absolutely and relative to alternative programs or wage earnings – and the breadth and severity of the qualifying conditions can influence caseload growth and disability recipiency rates
Summary
All industrialized nations provide some form of public protection to working-age individuals with disabilities. In their early manifestations, these programs focused on easing the. Over time a number of nations have moved away from simple cash assistance to emphasize pro-work programs designed to help individuals with disabilities maintain their labor market connections. We describe the evolution of disability programs in four countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States We select these countries as examples of nations with similar goals but very different approaches to achieving them. Our paper is a descriptive comparative analysis, it highlights the similarities of experiences across nations and underscores the potential benefit of learning from other countries’ policy reform efforts when tackling the challenges associated with providing social protection to those with disabilities
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