Welfare Provision Research Articles

Navigating tricky waters: inter-agency collaboration and competing logics in Swedish welfare provision

Navigating tricky waters: inter-agency collaboration and competing logics in Swedish welfare provision

New Technologies, Older Workers in Banking and Nursing

ABSTRACTThe article examines how technological change and organisational restructuring interacts with population ageing and policies that extend working life, and how older workers understand these trends. Using organisational and contextual approaches and qualitative research on nurses and bankers in Czechia, we investigate older workers' experiences with digitalisation. The age disadvantage older workers experience in digitalising workplaces is produced by three processes: responsibilisation, production of insecurity and ontological precarisation. The responsibilisation of employees for their own digital training is disadvantageous for older workers both in banking and nursing. Digitalisation and restructuring make older bankers feel insecure. To decrease their insecurity, nurses construct a boundary between technology and personal care. The sectoral labour market context is important, as exemplified by a shortage of nurses decreasing insecurity. The precarisation of older workers is further shaped by how the organisational context in which digitalisation occurs intersects with individuals' household situation and welfare state provisions.

The impact of tax burden on welfare attitudes: Micro evidence from welfare states

The attitudes of the general public with regard to social welfare are of crucial importance in determining the efficacy and stability of a nation’s welfare system. The manner in which taxation is employed as a means of funding mechanism for welfare policies is of great consequence. Nevertheless, existing research on the subject of welfare attitudes has largely neglected the tax perspective, underscoring the need for investigations that bridge this gap and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the intertwined dynamics between taxation and public perception of social benefits. This study investigates the influence of tax burdens on attitudes towards welfare using an ordered probit model applied to data from the 2019 International Social Survey Program (ISSP 2019 Social Inequality V), encompassing 11 welfare states. Our key findings are as follows: (1) Empirical analysis reveals that a moderate tax burden correlates with a reduction in public expectations regarding governmental responsibility for welfare provision. (2) Heterogeneity analysis elucidates a negative association between tax burdens and welfare attitudes across diverse welfare regimes. (3) The mediating effect test suggests that perceptions of social fairness partially mediate the relationship between tax burdens and welfare attitudes. (4) The moderating effect test indicates that government efficacy negatively moderates the impact of tax burden on welfare attitudes. This study offers insightful perspectives for policymakers aiming to design and implement tax systems that align effectively with societal structures.

Russian Business and the Authoritarian Welfare State

Authoritarian regimes widely involve non-state actors in social welfare to increase output legitimacy and regime stability. Despite the volume of corporate social investments, the role of private companies in authoritarian welfare is still poorly understood. This study analyzes the functioning of corporate social programs in the Russian authoritarian welfare state by focusing on corporate grant competitions and corporate volunteering as means of engaging both the local population and the companies’ employees in the regions. Drawing on stakeholder theory, it investigates how companies position themselves as welfare providers and how they legitimize their role with regard to key stakeholders, including state officials, employees, and the local population. The analysis is based on in-depth interviews with company representatives and key stakeholders in four Russian regions: Kemerovo, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region, Tiumen′, and Volgograd. In addition, corporate social reports from 2018 and information for beneficiaries were evaluated to identify program guidelines, motivations, and stakeholder assessments. The study argues that companies play an important role as welfare providers through the financial support of social organizations and employee initiatives at the regional and the local level. By providing social investments in geographically defined “territories of presence,” Russian companies pursue a double legitimation strategy, both demonstrating their social responsibility and loyalty toward the regime and strengthening authoritarian welfare provision through private social investments. With a detailed analysis of corporate social programs, this study contributes to our understanding of the specific conditions and mechanisms of social policy in authoritarian regimes and the place that companies occupy within it.

The Ethicality of Welfare Crowdfunding in the Context of the Neoliberal Welfare State: A Rawlsian Perspective

Despite crowdfunding platforms’ growing involvement in financing welfare, related ethical issues have received little scholarly attention. To address this gap, we focus on GoFundMe, the leading welfare crowdfunding platform in the US, to examine whether it facilitates the establishment of a just society that democratizes access to funding. Informed by Rawls’s ethics, we conduct a comprehensive analysis, arguing that GoFundMe’s modus operandi merits criticism. We advance three interrelated arguments for why GoFundMe is morally problematic. First, it distributes information and primary goods unfairly, perpetuating inequalities that disadvantage the most vulnerable. Second, it uses narratives that may distract public attention from systemic flaws in welfare provision, potentially reducing social pressure for institutional reform. Third, its emphasis on individual choice and responsibility may contribute to momentum for neoliberal policymaking. We show why scholars, policymakers, and platforms should engage in debate about regulating welfare crowdfunding activities to improve their ethicality.

Explaining Variation in Decision‐Making Authority for Care Managers in a Decentralised Welfare State

ABSTRACTLocal policy documents play a key role in the provision of social services in decentralised welfare systems. Previous Swedish research shows great municipal variation in local policies for delegation, which determines social workers' legal rights to make decisions about the welfare service given to older people. In this paper, we examine the association between local conditions and the variation of restrictiveness in local policies on delegation for elder care services, by combining data on political rule and economic, demographic, and geographic characteristics of all Swedish municipalities (n = 290), with data on delegation policy. Based on logistic regression models, the results indicate that population density, political rule and average income are correlated with the probability of restrictiveness in delegation. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding local conditions while allocating the responsibility for the provision of welfare in decentralised states with varying local prerequisites. They further highlight the need for studies investigating the consequences of varying local political policies on the outcome of the elder care services provided to older adults.

Humanitarian Activism, Social Protection, and Emergent Citizenship in Myanmar

Through the confluent impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2021 military coup, Myanmar has become a failed state. Deliberate targeting of humanitarian actors by the military junta has severely constrained the activities of international non-governmental organisations and United Nations agencies. In the first three post-coup years, welfare provision to the distressed and displaced were mainly undertaken by local actors who adapted to new conditions of both insecurity and broader economic turmoil. This localised welfare is intertwined with emergent local governance mechanisms, using technology and data analysis to deliver transparent, accountable, and inclusive public service. In the absence of a coherent central state, the social contract of welfare develops at more local levels, generating smaller islands of citizenship from which to build future political communities.

Zakat, Non-state Welfare Provision and Redistribution in Times of Crisis: Evidence from the Covid-19 Pandemic

AbstractAround the world, the Covid-19 pandemic drew attention to state social protection and its limitations. Less attention has been paid to what is likely the world’s largest system of predominantly non-state welfare provision: zakat, an annual Islamic obligatory payment of a percentage of productive wealth to the poor and other eligible recipients. We explore how states and citizens engage with zakat during crises through a case study of the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan, Egypt, and Morocco, drawing on novel and nationally representative survey data of 5484 respondents across the three countries. While we may expect that citizens may be less motivated to pay zakat in times of personal economic hardship, we find that a large majority of the general population and of zakat contributors perceives zakat as particularly important in the Covid context. We show that while zakat may play an important role in non-state social welfare provision supplementing state social protection and redistribution in times of crisis, state attempts to harness it are often ineffective. However, while we find that higher income individuals are more likely to pay zakat, even only among those that are eligible, there are potentially negative equity impacts given the flat rate at which it is levied and the fact that people tend to give through personal networks.

Governing poverty and migration in European nation-states – keywords revisited

This article introduces a collaborative publication exploring the intricate interplay between poverty governance, migration control, and welfare provision. Adopting a ‘keywords’ approach, we investigate the terminology and concepts around which academic discussions revolve when addressing poverty and migration. Central to this examination is the figure of the ‘poor migrant’, whose experiences of inclusion and exclusion intersect along lines of race, gender, and legal status. Using an intersectional lens, the publication dissects key terms and concepts : Welfare State, Welfare Governance, Citizenship, Solidarity and Deservingness, Suspicion and Surveillance, Discipline, and Banishment. We thus aim to conceptualise and critically discuss the constant renegotiation of state power and the nation-state induced in ex/inclusionary aspects of welfare and migration policies and law. The contribution reveals how notions of belonging shape access to rights and services, particularly along racialized and classist lines. Moreover, it explores how migration policies exacerbate scrutiny and exclusion faced by non-citizen populations within contemporary welfare systems.

Application Of Counterterrorism In Eradicating Criminal Acts Of Terrorism Into Indonesian Positive Legislation

Through counterterrorism policies, the government can mobilize various public work sectors which ultimately improve the quality of security and welfare provisions by the state. Improving the handling of terrorism convicts in prison to prevent recidivism, for example, will improve the detention system, immigration system and civil registration. This is of course with an important note that the policy of responding to terrorism is carried out in a coordinated manner. So, not only certain institutions within the country, but all state institutions must have a clear role in responding to terrorism. The formulation of the problem discussed is: How can counterterrorism efforts prevent and overcome terrorism? and How is counter-terrorism implemented in eradicating criminal acts of terrorism into Indonesian positive law legislation? The research method used in this research is normative juridical research with a statutory approach and a conceptual approach. Discussion: The application of counter-terrorism in eradicating criminal acts of terrorism in Indonesia has been integrated into positive legal legislation through Law no. 5 of 2018. This law strengthens the legal framework by expanding the definition of terrorism, tightening supervision, and giving greater authority to security forces, as well as introducing preventive measures such as preventive detention and deradicalization. The role of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) has also been strengthened to coordinate counter-terrorism strategies. The legislative process in Indonesia which follows the civil law tradition requires regulations to be written in writing. Establishment of Law no. 5 of 2018 was also influenced by the phenomenon of acts of terrorism which prompted the acceleration of the revision of Law no. 15 of 2003. Encouragement from society (bottom-up) and responses from political actors accelerated the ratification of this law, even though there were various challenges related to expanding authority and human rights. In dealing with terrorism, Indonesia applies two main approaches, namely the criminal justice model and the war model. The criminal justice model views terrorism as a legal violation that is handled through law enforcement, while the war model views it as an existential threat that requires a military response.

Institutionalization Of Children And Their Overall Development

The ideal environment for children's physical, psychological, and emotional development is within a family. All children should live in supportive, protective, and caring settings that enables them to achieve their full potential. Those with inadequate or no parental care are especially at risk of missing out on such nurturing environments. Many children in India lack a stable home and family. These include abandoned, surrendered, and orphaned children, as well as destitute children with families. These children are particularly vulnerable in terms of their right to survival, development, and protection. The State is accountable for protecting the rights pertaining to these children and ensuring appropriate alternative care through its competent authorities, such as nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations. The Government also enacted the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, which serves as the major legislative framework for child protection in India, ensuring the security, protection, education, welfare, and development of children in need. The paper attempts to explore the institutionalization of children, the shortcomings of such a process, and the felt needs of the children. It focuses on the concerns of institutionalization and the overall development of children, access to their rights, welfare provisions, and relevant legislations. It also looks at adoption as an alternative to institutionalization. The paper thus examines child care institutions from the perspective of the child and argues that institutional care should be the last resort. It also discusses contemporary social work and advocates for alternative care, along with comprehensive welfare measures to guarantee the protection and overall development of children in need

Healthcare Access and Financing: A Legal and Public Health Perspective

The welfare provisions of the current Constitution centre on healthcare. The Indian Constitution's Article 42 declares that the state has an obligation to take all reasonable steps to promote public health. Additionally, Article 47 of the Indian Constitution, another article containing Directive Principles of State Policy, mandates that the state carry out its primary duties to improve public health by raising the standard of living, improving nutrition, and improving public health. In particular, the state must work to outlaw the use of drugs and alcohol, unless prescribed, as these substances are harmful to health. It follows that welfare regulations clearly place an obligation on the state to increase its assistance in promoting the health of those individuals who are unable to pay for the expensive medical care needed to treat their illnesses. In light of the urgency and importance of the issue, the World Health Organisation designated Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as its top goal. Ensuring that everyone has access to necessary health services of adequate quality and is shielded from the financial burden of medical expenses is the goal of universal health coverage. In underdeveloped nations, financial security against medical expenses is just as important as access to healthcare.

Cause-specific excess mortality in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020–2022: a study using nationwide population data

While there is substantial evidence on excess mortality in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, no study has conducted a cause-specific analysis of excess mortality for the whole period 2020–2022 across multiple countries. We examined cause-specific excess mortality during 2020–2022 in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden—four countries with similar demographics and welfare provisions, which implemented different pandemic response policies. To this end, we utilized nationwide register-based information on annual cause-specific deaths stratified by age and sex, and applied linear regression models to predict mortality in 2020–2022 based on the reference period 2010–2019. Excess deaths were obtained by contrasting actual and expected deaths. Additional analyses employed standardization to a common population, as well as population adjustments to account for previous deaths. Our results showed that, besides deaths due to COVID-19 (a total of 32,491 during 2020–2022), all countries experienced excess deaths due to cardiovascular diseases (in total 11,610 excess deaths), and under-mortality due to respiratory diseases other than COVID-19 (in total 9878) and dementia (in total 8721). The excess mortality due to cardiovascular diseases was particularly pronounced in Finland and Norway in 2022, and the under-mortality due to dementia was particularly pronounced in Sweden in 2021–2022. In conclusion, while COVID-19 deaths emerge as the most apparent consequence of the pandemic, our findings suggest that mortality has also been influenced by substitutions between different causes of death and over time, as well as indirect consequences of COVID-19 infection and pandemic responses—albeit to different extents in the different countries.

Contested and unheard voices within the asylum framework – participation challenges of unaccompanied minors in Germany and Norway

ABSTRACT The construction of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UMAs) as a vulnerable group places UMAs into a social category that the welfare state is required to deal with. In general, welfare states have the choice of addressing UMAs’ needs, either under the scope of the asylum system combined with special provisions, or to place them on a separate track and thus exclude them from ordinary migration framework. This article takes a comparative analysis of the Norwegian (migration track) and German (separate track) asylum and welfare system on how the regulations available for UMAs intersect and how these procedures shape the lived experiences of UMAs and their options for participation in their decisions on their asylum cases, as well as in their everyday lives. When discussing three characteristics of UMA status (their position as protection seeker, as under age, as unaccompanied), we will especially focus on participation rights in how regulations regarding the age assessment, asylum procedure, residence status, legal representation and welfare provisions are applied in practice. To this end, we will highlight experiences of UMA gathered through interviews in Norway and Germany.

Feminism, reproductive labour and the gendered welfare state in Britain’s National Insurance Act of 1911

Abstract In 1911, numerous women’s organizations, of varying political interests, mounted a campaign against the National Insurance Bill. Such opposition emerged despite feminist support for increased welfare provision in general and especially for the maternity benefit that the Bill proposed to introduce. Feminists criticized National Insurance for discriminating against women, especially its failure to recognize the economic contribution of women’s unwaged reproductive labour. They lobbied and campaigned for a series of amendments, some of which were successful. Feminist opposition to National Insurance sheds new light on an ongoing historiographical debate over the degree to which women were able to influence early welfare states prior to enfranchisement. Their activities cannot be easily contained within a framework of ‘maternalist feminism’, and call into question distinctions between ‘maternalist’/‘social’ feminism and ‘equality’ feminism, and middle-class and working-class women’s agendas. Instead, feminist campaigns around National Insurance reveal an early analysis of ‘social reproduction’ (the origins of which are usually traced back only to ‘second wave’ feminism) whereby British feminists participated in international conversations contesting the gendered definitions of work that went on to inform insurance-based welfare states across Europe.

Caring for uncommon bodies: Commoning yoseba through indifferent care and working together

ABSTRACT This study examines the emergence of care as a commoning practice within grassroots movements by focusing on Sōgidan, an activist group supporting rough sleepers in San’ya, Tokyo. San’ya is yoseba (day labor auction market), a historical urban margin turning into a service hub. Produced as cheap, disposable labor in the process of Japanese modernization, Japan’s day laborers were enclaved in yoseba and left without social protection after the economic bubble burst. However, they were not merely victims; they embodied a rebellious subjectivity, actively breaking away from the oppressive society. Despite welfare provisions after the 2000s, many day laborers refused aid and continued to sleep on the streets. Through extensive archival research, ethnographic observation, and in-depth interviews, this paper illuminates how Sōgidan has developed strategies of care to relate to the underclass, the historical others who refuse aid. Sōgidan embodies and carries forward the underclass movement, which uniquely echoed feminist ethics of care. It also initiates the creation of the radical commons, reconfiguring the distance between individuals and collectives, and sharing precariousness differently from capitalist norms. By linking Sōgidan’s practices to feminist ethics of care, this research contributes to opening up new perspectives of care and in(ter)dependence toward the commons.

Stability indicators, child welfare provisioning and trajectory into university for care-experienced youth

PurposeChildren and youth who enter the care system have lower educational outcomes and university participation rates than their peers. This study aims to understand trend exceptions by examining the background of care-experienced undergraduates attending a research-intensive university in Canada.Design/methodology/approachInformed by social affordance theory, this study examined the presence of four indicators of stability (home, household occupants, school and legal status) during participants’ final three years of secondary education. Care-experienced undergraduates (N = 30) completed an online questionnaire. Associations between stability indicators, child welfare involvement in the final year of high school, educational outcomes and routes into higher education were analysed.FindingsStability across three to four indicators was experienced by 40% of participants, while 47% reported changes across three to four indicators. Only 20% had a change of school as compared to 47%–60% for other indicators. During their final year of high school, 73% of participants were supported by the child welfare system, with 50% being supported via a support program specifically for 16- to 18-year-olds. Stability scores were significantly lower for this latter subgroup compared to those who spent time in foster or group care and those who did not receive child welfare support during the final year of high school. Ninety percent of participants graduated from high school, 67% with the grades required to attend university. Three trajectories into undergraduate study were identified but could not be predicted using regression models.Originality/valueThis paper focuses on what has supported progression into a research-intensive university for care-experienced young adults and highlights the role of support programs for 16- to 18-year-olds.

CONJUNCTURES OF DEMOCRACY EROSION

The paper aims to examine and understand the recent developments in Brazilian democracy in a sociological perspective. It offers an analysis of the conjunctural preconditions for the recent rise of authoritarian populism, presenting ways in which Brazil can be viewed as paradigm of democratic erosion and/or resilience. The article describes the foundational premises that made the development of contemporary democracies possible, and it proceeds from this description to explain how features common to authoritarian populist movements in Brazil and elsewhere are detrimental to these premises. It is argued that democracies are likely to thrive when welfare provisions and access to human rights are open to increasing sectors of the population, generating an inclusionary citizenship effect. The political polarization regarding the Brazilian welfare system and the discourse against international human rights, culminated in the weakening of the Brazilian welfare net and setbacks in the recognition of human rights by courts. These processes preceded, and were aggravated by, the rise of authoritarian populism in Brazil, generating an exclusionary view of citizenship that tended to intensify social conflict, with increasing militarization at both governmental and social levels. Arguably, the absence of warfare or an imminent warfare threat in the most recent democratic transition in Brazil reduced the capacity of welfare and constitutional human rights provisions to limit the influence of the military on democracy. While the efforts to build up the welfare system and protect human rights are still ongoing, the militarization element remains latent, posing a constant threat to democratic consolidation in Brazil.

Disposition of health-care workers toward hospital patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization declared health-care workers “the last line of defense against the COVID-19 pandemic.” Against this backdrop, this study investigated the state, responses, and attitudes of health-care workers toward hospital patients during the pandemic in Nigeria, alongside the attitudes of patients and the responsibilities of Nigerian social workers in ensuring adequate patient care. Employing a descriptive research design, the study sampled 17 respondents from Enugu State and utilized a qualitative research approach with an in-depth interview guide for data collection. The findings revealed that Nigerian healthcare workers exhibited a negative attitude toward hospital patients during the pandemic. Factors contributing to this negative attitude include fear of contracting the virus due to inadequate personal protective equipment, lack of incentives, insufficient hazard allowances, and inadequate hospital facilities. The death rate of patients with complications unrelated to COVID-19 was high because patients avoided hospital care even when critically ill due to fear of contracting the virus. Consequently, there was an increase in self-medication and reliance on alternative medicine among patients. Social workers played a significant role by advocating for improved hospital care and welfare for patients. They engaged in dialogue with hospital management to secure better attention and treatment for patients and advocated for adequate welfare provision for health-care workers. Social workers undertook educational initiatives to raise awareness among patients about the dangers of alternative medicine, self-medication, and the imperativeness of complying with the stipulated COVID-19 preventive protocol. In conclusion, this study recommends policy reforms aimed at enhancing budgetary allocations to the health-care sector and institutionalizing the social work profession in Nigeria through constitutional provisions.

Perceptions of distributive justice and public attitudes towards government welfare responsibility in China: moderating role of urban-rural and regional difference

ABSTRACT While current research mainly focuses on the social justice of contemporary people, it lacks attention to generational contradictions and distributive justice. This article analyses how citizens’ perceptions of distributive justice shape public attitudes towards government welfare responsibility in China. Using China General Social Survey data in 2015, it found that people upholding strong perception of intergenerational justice hold positive attitudes towards government responsibility for welfare provision, while people with strong perception of intragenerational justice are less supportive. Besides, intragenerational justice could mediate the effect of intergenerational justice on public attitudes towards government welfare responsibility. Furthermore, it reveals profound urban-rural and regional difference could moderate the effects of citizen’s perception of intergenerational justice and intragenerational justice on public attitudes. These findings indicate that a more unified welfare system should be established, and expand the spatial boundaries of social justice for both the present and future generations.