The choice experiment. From state to market in Swedish welfare services.
The Swedish welfare state has undergone significant changes in the way social services such as healthcare, education, and elderly care are delivered. Whereas these services were previously provided almost exclusively by public authorities, they are now delivered by a diverse mix of public and private actors, many of them for-profit enterprises.
This development has surprised observers abroad and raised questions about whether the system can still be regarded as universal—a trait that has been considered a defining feature of the Swedish (and broader Nordic) welfare model. In response, scholars have offered differing assessments. The matter is further complicated by the absence of a widely accepted definition of what universalism in social policy actually entails.
The aim of the project is to synthesize my previous research on the effects of market-orienting reforms within Swedish social services and to interpret the developments through the lens of various conceptualizations of universalism. The project is planned to produce a book examining how market reforms in healthcare, education, and elderly care in Sweden between 1990 and 2020 affected access to and the quality of these services and, more broadly, changed the universal character of the Swedish welfare system. The book will also add to our understanding of the theoretical concept of universalism within social policy and its linkages to political values such as social equality and freedom.
This development has surprised observers abroad and raised questions about whether the system can still be regarded as universal—a trait that has been considered a defining feature of the Swedish (and broader Nordic) welfare model. In response, scholars have offered differing assessments. The matter is further complicated by the absence of a widely accepted definition of what universalism in social policy actually entails.
The aim of the project is to synthesize my previous research on the effects of market-orienting reforms within Swedish social services and to interpret the developments through the lens of various conceptualizations of universalism. The project is planned to produce a book examining how market reforms in healthcare, education, and elderly care in Sweden between 1990 and 2020 affected access to and the quality of these services and, more broadly, changed the universal character of the Swedish welfare system. The book will also add to our understanding of the theoretical concept of universalism within social policy and its linkages to political values such as social equality and freedom.