Introduction: the Nordic welfare state as a state of civilisation

Hänninen, Sakari; Lehtelä, Kirsi-Marja; Saikkonen, Paula

doi:10.4337/9781788974653.00006

Cited by 3 publications

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“…The emergence and acceleration of these “multidimensional concerns,” as well as the public’s growing awareness of their implications, have increased the demand and need for novel ways of living, producing and consuming (Elias, 2019; Utting, van Dijk, & Mathei, 2014). These sustainability concerns cannot be addressed by specific policy instruments, but rather require highly compatible social and ecological systems (Breg & Saikkonen, 2019). In response, this study aims to provide foundational theoretical and empirical insights into the significance and nature of the interaction between welfare and environmental states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The shift towards an eco-welfare state: growing stronger together

Hasanaj

2023

J. int. comp. soc. policy

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Poverty, inequality and climate change are profoundly interconnected issues and represent grave threats to the future of our planet and civilization. Failure in one will result in failure in the other; thus, government responses to such threats must be meticulously coordinated, especially across environmental and welfare state programs. In recent years, a growing body of research has examined the links between these two domains, lauding the eco-welfare state as a viable path forward. As the literature on the eco-welfare state is at an early stage, this study proposes two essential theoretical and empirical contributions. First, it examines the most prominent theoretical interpretations of the concept of eco-welfare state and proposes a refined understanding. Second, using model-based cluster analysis for 42 countries, this study empirically unveils a global shift towards and the existence of an eco-welfare state.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The shift towards an eco-welfare state: growing stronger together

Hasanaj

2023

J. int. comp. soc. policy

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“…From a liberal perspective, the Nordics' large-government, high-taxation model restricts individual freedom. From a Nordic perspective, this model makes meaningful freedom possible for more individuals in a given population (Hänninen et al, 2019). Social democracy is thus the governance that most effectively delivers upon the unintended teleology of the modern world: independence for individuals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Lutheran Imaginary That Underpins Social Democracy

Larsen

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Scandinavian social democracy is increasingly upheld as an alternative that could reform capitalism. The Nordic Model produces income equality, low-conflict politics, and happy people. When half of young Americans express that they would prefer “socialism,” they generally mean to live in a society that provides for its citizens as the Nordics do. Such aspirations are complicated by how social democracy can be viewed as a secularized form of Lutheranism, the Protestant creed that the Nordic region embraced in the 16th century. Lutheran norms and values carried into the modern era and made possible social democracy's two distinguishing features: fascist corporatism and socialist redistribution. A strong state facilitates statist individualism, which empowers individuals vis-à-vis employers, parents, and spouses. The outcome could be cross-culturally salient, as it brings people closer to our species' fission-fusion baseline. Yet in the modern environment, only Nordics seem to have a cultural imaginary that makes compelling the politics that drive such high levels of both productivity and egalitarianism. The region's storytelling reflects this Lutheran past and is used to negotiate modern adaptations. A better understanding of social democracy could help prevent that demands for “socialism” motivate a turn to actual socialism.

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“…Social workers, administrators, and other professionals work for and with unemployed people. In addition to the practical goal of employability, in order for the unemployed to (re-)enter the labour market, the overall principles of autonomy, inclusion, participation, and sustainability are central (Hänninen, Lehtelä, and Saikkonen 2019;Tarkiainen 2020). Whereas the link to work and unemployment is clear for the first three principles, sustainability seems to be less clearly connected.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosocial work and services for unemployed people: the challenge to integrate environmental and social sustainability

Stamm

2021

Nordic Social Work Research

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Sustainability in the context of labour market and unemployment policies is usually understood as mere cost-efficiency. The environmental and social dimensions of sustainability are missing. This article discusses the meaning of sustainability in this field of policy and practice in a medium-size city in Finland. It focuses on services for unemployed people and the role of social work. The paper aims to contribute to the knowledge base on sustainable welfare in a Nordic context and on ecosocial work in Finland. It is structured by two main questions. 1) How is 'sustainability' perceived and interpreted in the context of services for unemployed people? 2) What potential for eco-social policies can be identified in the field? The data was collected through expert interviews with various actors in the field. The data analysis followed the constructivist grounded theory approach, as well as sequential analysis according to objective hermeneutics. The results reveal a number of valuable ideas and concepts for future eco-social policies. However, an integrated ecosocial approach was largely missing from the field. The analysis further reveals a fragmented picture of numerous meanings, interpretations, and concepts of sustainability. This leads to the conclusion that social work needs to clarify its own role regarding sustainability, drawing on the concept of its third mandate. This will enable social workers to become sustainability experts at the local level -for and with their clients.

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Introduction: the Nordic welfare state as a state of civilisation

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

The shift towards an eco-welfare state: growing stronger together

The shift towards an eco-welfare state: growing stronger together

The Lutheran Imaginary That Underpins Social Democracy

Ecosocial work and services for unemployed people: the challenge to integrate environmental and social sustainability

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