Expansion and Retrenchment of the Swedish Welfare State

Buendía, Luis

doi:10.1177/0020731414568506

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…During this era, it has been noted that the Swedish healthcare model is becoming less distinct than it was, and increasingly similar to health insurance models [ 62 ]. This can be described as a revised model based on tax-funding but with choice and competition elements [ 63 , 64 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universal health coverage and equal access in Sweden: a century-long perspective on macro-level policy

Fredriksson

2024

Int J Equity Health

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Background When today’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage are mainly directed towards low-income settings, it is perhaps easy to forget that countries considered to have universal, comprehensive and high-performing health systems have also undergone this journey. In this article, the aim is to provide a century-long perspective to illustrate Sweden’s long and ongoing journey towards universal health coverage and equal access to healthcare. Methods The focus is on macro-level policy. A document analysis is divided into three broad eras (1919–1955; 1955–1989; 1989–) and synthesises seven points in time when policies relevant to overarching goals and regulation of universal health coverage and equal access were proposed and/or implemented. The development is analysed and concluded in relation to two egalitarian goals in the context of health: equality of access and equal treatment for equal need. Results Over the past century, macro-level policy evolved from the concept of creating access for the neediest and those reliant on wages for their survival to a mandatory insurance with equal right to healthcare for all. However, universal health coverage was not achieved until 1955, and individuals had to rely on their personal financial resources to cover the cost at the time of care utilization until the 1970s. It was not until 1983 that legislation explicitly stated that access to healthcare should be equal for the entire population (horizontal equity), while a vertical equity-principle was not added until 1997. Subsequently, ideas of free choice and privatization have gained significance. For instance, they aim to increase service access, addressing the Swedish health system’s Achilles’ heel in this regard. However, the principle of equal access for all is now being challenged by the emergence of private health insurance, which offers quicker access to services. Conclusions: brief summary and potential implications It can be concluded that there is no perpetual Swedish healthcare model and various dimensions of access have been the focus of policy discussion. The discussion on access barriers has shifted from financial to personal and organizational ones. Today, Sweden still ranks high in terms of affordability and equity in international comparisons: although not as well as a decade ago. Whether this marks the beginning of a new trend intertwined with a decline in Sweden’s welfare ‘exceptionalism’, or is a temporary decline remains to be assessed in the future.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universal health coverage and equal access in Sweden: a century-long perspective on macro-level policy

Fredriksson

2024

Int J Equity Health

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“…Pirmiausia -dėl atsitraukimo nuo savo institucinio "gerovės valstybės" tipo ir judant liberalesnio korporatyvinio konservatyvaus modelio link. Tačiau stiprų senąjį savo valstybės karkasą ir pagrindinius vidaus gyvenimo bei tarptautinės politikos bruožus Švedija išsaugojo iki šiol (Buendia, 2015). Reakcija į COVID-19 krizę ir Rusijos karą prieš Ukrainą tai įtikinamai pademonstravo.…”

Section: įVadasunclassified

Švedijos Specifika Ir Politinė Padėtis 2018 M. Bei 2022 M. Riksdago Rinkimų Laikotarpiu

Guogis¹

2022

Tiltai

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The Swedish Social Democratic Party has held power in Sweden most years for a whole century. For many years, it held it in coalition with other left-wing parties, proposing the general course of democratic functional socialist ideology, regular measures to strengthen the welfare state, a benevolent immigration policy, and a peaceful foreign policy, by mediating between west and east, and also north and south. Social Democrat activities were often carried out clearly and with predictability, with great hopes of counteracting future economic, social, political and cultural challenges. When too many of these challenges appeared in public and foreign policy, the ‘social democratic arsenal’ vanished, and less preventive measures appeared to counteract the cataclysms. The radical Sweden Democrats Party rushed into the political arena, and became the third party after the 2018 Riksdag election, and the second party after the 2022 Riksdag election. The Sweden Democrats proposed not only widening and deepening the welfare state’s programmes, and strengthening punishments for crime, but also a strict anti-immigration policy, primarily a racist anti-immigration policy towards newcomers from the Middle East and Africa. Other right-wing parties viewed the programme and the activities of the Sweden Democrats with reservation, but they had to form a coalition with four right-wing parties in order to win the Riksdag elections. After a right-wing victory in the 2022 election, Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the Moderates, attained the right to form a government on behalf of a coalition between the Moderates, the Sweden Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. The political situation in Sweden before and after the 2018 and 2022 Riksdag elections is presented in the article, together with the political crisis between these two elections, as well as the results of the 2018 and 2022 elections. In the article, the author uses the descriptive analytical method, together with synthesis and some evaluations of the Riksdag elections.

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“…On the other hand, low wage dispersion, high activity rates, work-life balance, high generosity, and universality of benefits are based on an equally elevated fiscal pressure, hence promoting low dependence on informal social institutions and between individuals. Even if Social-democratic WS seem to remain more attached to their core principles, we can observe a certain level of denaturalisation of some traits or retrenchment (Buendía, 2015;Buendia & Palazuelos, 2014). In the case of the Nordic countries, and particularly Sweden, this phenomenon is reflected in the promotion of public-private management of pensions, the introduction of actuarial techniques for the calculation of benefits (Belfrage & Ryner, 2009), the increasing participation of markets in the provision of social services (Buendía García, 2012) and a slight limitation of universality (Moreno, 2013).…”

Section: Slovakia and Sloveniamentioning

confidence: 86%

Just energy transitions to low carbon economies: Coal mining areas and welfare policies

García¹

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Expansion and Retrenchment of the Swedish Welfare State

Cited by 5 publications

References 23 publications

Universal health coverage and equal access in Sweden: a century-long perspective on macro-level policy

Universal health coverage and equal access in Sweden: a century-long perspective on macro-level policy

Švedijos Specifika Ir Politinė Padėtis 2018 M. Bei 2022 M. Riksdago Rinkimų Laikotarpiu

Just energy transitions to low carbon economies: Coal mining areas and welfare policies

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