+44 3308180992Research Article - International Research Journal of Arts and Social Sciences ( 2025) Volume 13, Issue 1
Received: 16-May-2024, Manuscript No. irjass-24-133968; Editor assigned: 20-May-2024, Pre QC No. irjass-24-133968 (PQ); Reviewed: 03-Jun-2024, QC No. irjass-24-133968; Revised: 08-Jan-2025, Manuscript No. irjass-24-133968 (R); Published: 15-Jan-2025, DOI: 10.14303/2276-6502.2025.104
Nowadays social service and care occupy the main place in the social policy models of developed countries, because it is impossible to build an effective social policy without successfully organizing social service. For this purpose, the written article examines and analyzes the mentioned topics, reveals the negative and positive, strong and weak sides of the work done in this field, and mentions the necessary elements for an exemplary system. During the listed issues, the Scandinavian countries, specifically Sweden, which are considered to be the leading and most successful models in the world today, are taken, and the consistent steps taken in this country in the last 100 years, relevant laws and political processes are highlighted, and the results they bring are noted. When considering the Scandinavian type of social service, the Swedish model, it is clear to see the success of the systematic approach and work. From another point of view, it shows that the population plays a big role in building a successful social model, historical traditions, national attitude, and social norms contribute a lot to this work, and it shows that greater success can be achieved in the case of unity. The contribution of contemporary sociocultural values to the process, the impossibility of establishing a successful social welfare model without ensuring them and observing human rights and freedoms becomes clear once again. At the same time, in order to ensure this, the importance of mutual cooperation of all state institutions and relevant institutions in accordance with the needs of the people plays a key role for success. The study covers the period from World War I to the present.
Social welfare, Justice and equality, Welfare state, Universal welfare policy, Labor market, Transparency and openness, Social democracy, Economic security
Nowadays, when it comes to social welfare and social services, one of the first places that comes to mind is Scandinavia, more specifically Sweden (Sven Jochem, 2011). Of course, Sweden's geographical and historical position (policy of neutrality) and the fact that it is a developed country also play a certain role in this matter, but when we look at other developed countries with common or close positions, we see that these are not the main factors at all (Tine Rostgaard, 2014). One of the main differences of this region, which is a part of Europe, from other European countries is the system of social relations, the emphasis on human freedom and the leading place of economic security in society (Stephens JD, 1996). The fact that religious and national disputes are at a minimum, that people prioritize their individual lives and well-being, and that social distance and individual freedom form the main value system for the population are considered to be the reasons for the success of Scandinavian countries (Eydal GB et al., 2011). Along with the successful establishment of social policy and efficient management, the attitude of the population towards it and the values created and applied in this field in itself lead to the success of a specific political model (Esping-Andersen Gost, 2009). Of course, the Swedish model is also a national model, and the probability of its success in other countries is not always positive, because what makes this model successful is Sweden, its historical and cultural values, modern life and expectations (Tragardh L, 1990). Separately, no model can succeed without the participation and consent of the people (Carlson B et al., 2017). One of the main factors of success is matching the needs of the people with the potential of the state, building family, work and educational life in sequence without interfering with each other (Stolt R et al., 2011). In this topic, attention is paid to the path taken by Sweden, which is currently one of the exemplary social models for the world, to achieve this and the steps taken in this work. results and lessons learned from this process are analyzed (Magnusson L, 2006).
Quality of development of the problem: While working on the topic, the research conducted in this field is successfully used, and the academic view is considered together with a wealth of experience (Lundberg E, 1985). Historical development of the Swedish social welfare model, its development path over 100 years, difficulties and problems encountered, successes and failures; their causes and consequences are carefully analyzed. Views and evaluations of local (Swedish) and foreign experts are presented (Borjeson M et al., 2014). The issues of social democracy, welfare state, high employment rate, unemployment insurance, attention to family and children, balancing work and family life, reconciling individual rights and freedoms with the common good, gender equality and lifelong learning, which are components of the Swedish model, are considered separately and carefully (Trygged S et al., 2009). The article clearly analyzes the topic, noting the important points, as well as the shortcomings and weaknesses (Blom B, 2001). Transparency of social policy and adaptation of decision-making to people's needs attract attention (Lagergren M et al., 2004).
Purpose, tasks: The aim is to analyze the works and researches carried out in this field, and draw attention to the factors that Sweden, which is one of the leading social policy models in the world today, is based on in the construction of the welfare state, and the applied approaches, to draw attention to the necessary factors for the establishment of a progressive system and model in this field (Eliassi B, 2015). to show the possibility of their being used for other countries as well. Based on the analysis of this model, one of the tasks before us is to determine the ways of applying and applying the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge for the development of universal, local social systems (Shanks E et al., 2023).
Methods
During the research, the methodology of comparative analysis between the sources related to the topic, the analytical research method in general was used. Methods such as generalization, going from abstract to concrete, historical-comparative and systematic approach, analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction were used depending on the tasks set in the research.
The Swedish model of social service
Sweden is the country with the largest and best developed social service model among the Scandinavian countries. By international standards, Sweden is a country where wealth is more evenly distributed across the country's population. This model aims to be inclusive, to increase the well-being of everyone, and at the same time to protect the independence of citizens.
The Swedish model is based on three principles: a labor market that facilitates adaptation to change, a universal welfare policy, and an economic policy that promotes openness and stability. The labor market should include an active workforce, an unemployment insurance mechanism, and adaptation to new knowledge and skills and tasks needed during structural changes. The welfare policy envisages that all citizens have access to high-quality social security services. The social insurance system must ensure the financial security of every person who fulfills his/her obligations to the state. Economic policy is characterized by openness and international competition, thereby creating conditions for economic stability and a dynamic business sector. For the sustainability of the fiscal policy, it is necessary to have a large amount of public spending. Sweden takes this as a basis and prioritizes the stability and consistency of its fiscal policy. At this time, citizens' confidence in the state increases and financial transparency is ensured more easily. This in itself legitimizes the economic system and leads to a more effective tax policy. High employment of the population is also an important factor here, because universal welfare is financed from it. As a result of this long-term policy, Sweden's Gross Domestic Product increases steadily every year (except during the global economic crisis). There are only a few countries in the world with such an indicator. Due to this, it left countries like Germany and Canada, which are many times rich in terms of resources, behind. Although there is no specific definition of the Swedish model, it can be said that the implemented economic and welfare policy, based on the nature of the labor market, is based on the mutual strengthening of the relationship between equality and prosperity. The most important goal of this model is to achieve an equal distribution of resources and wealth among the population with the increase of well-being. Another important issue is that all this should be done without reducing people's economic freedom, on the contrary, by increasing it. The main goals of the model: prosperity, justice and gender equality.
The goal of justice is based on a fundamental belief in the equality of all people and their right to a dignified and equally independent life in their lives. Fairness is an integral value of this model. Gender equality is also taken as a component and main principle of this value. Having the right to work for women is a key element for them to build their lives independently. This also leads to economic development, growth, and prosperity with the increase in labor market activity. Unemployment is not only an economic disadvantage, but also leads to social isolation. It is clear from this that the labor market, the level of work is a fundamental element for the equal distribution of income. Because the lower the unemployment rate, the more welfare, fairer distribution of income and the funds to finance it. The educational system and highly qualified personnel are very important factors in providing job opportunities. Public funding of education, health, elderly and child care leads to a more equitable distribution of resources.
Another goal of the Swedish model is to protect the independence of citizens and prevent power inequality. This stems from the nature of relationships between employees and employers, as well as individuals and their families. Through the welfare system and various state structures, the goal is to provide individuals with a decent standard of living for themselves, independent of their families, and to ensure that they are in a strong position in relation to entrepreneurs. Tragardh and Berggren focus on this aspect of the Swedish model. They consider it as a direct alliance between the individual and the state in terms of both rights and duties. Regardless of the status of a citizen's relationship with his family, employer, entrepreneur or relevant government agencies, there is always a social safety net for him. Thus, a person's dependence on family, neighbors, business institutions and civil society institutions is reduced to a minimum. Although it is theoretically considered a paradox to ensure economic development and sustainability, despite large state spending and the public sector occupying an important place in the economy, Scandinavian countries, including Sweden, have been able to achieve this thanks to the mutual relationship between fairness and efficiency and their mutual support. Researchers such as Lindbeck and Ljunge state that social norms also play an important role here. So, the fact that people in the society have a low tendency to get rich and do not abuse the given opportunities also plays a certain role here. At the same time, appropriate measures are taken into account to prevent abuse. Unemployment insurance benefit to a person is temporary and not permanent, and is given taking into account his job search and participation in training and experience programs for this purpose. In most cases, comprehensive government intervention is needed for a fairer distribution of income. The extent of the public sector and the maintenance of stable GDP growth are also closely related to the relationship between equity and efficiency. On the other hand, the public sector can increase productivity in the economy by acting as a tool to ensure the equal distribution of resources among individuals, and by financing education, health, and care for children and the elderly. Proper taxation and control of allocated funds is also an important factor in this process.
Another important aspect of the Swedish model is that the welfare services and social security system cover the person throughout his life. Children and young people are provided with various care systems and education, the elderly are provided with pensions and certain care systems, and the working population plays a key role in this process by paying taxes. These taxes form the basis of the social insurance system. People of all age groups can benefit from education and health services whenever they want, free of charge within certain limits. This circulation of resources throughout life ensures economic efficiency and insures the economy against sudden crises. All this provides a strong social contract between the community, allowing the low-income individuals to benefit from the type of education they want. Even if the individual does not have enough opportunity for this, the accumulated social capital and its fair and equal distribution make it possible. Thus, human capital potential is used more appropriately. Empirical analyzes conducted by Andersen and Maibom show that Sweden is one of the best practicing countries in the world in the field of social welfare, with both high income and fair distribution, with well-designed policies and well-organized institutions. According to Andersen, the basis of this is that high government spending is effective, and that these expenses directly affect people's well-being and daily lives, income and employment. A distinctive feature of the Swedish labor market is coordinated wage formation, an active labor market policy and unemployment insurance. The key is that individuals are willing to work and open to new challenges. Once this part of the social contract is fulfilled, individuals can use the income-related social insurance system. A certain degree of financial security is met for those who are not open to this system. In addition to the state, other social partners can also participate here. Labor market conditions are dictated more by collective agreements than by state intervention and legislation. There is no mandatory minimum wage. Collective agreements cover the majority of employees and are legally binding. Creating adequate conditions for workers and preventing monopoly of companies are the main requirements. This in itself encourages free competition in the society and companies that are not compliant and do not treat employees well sooner or later have to exit the market. Market conditions encourage adaptability for employees, the ability to adapt to new conditions and quickly move to a new job. Thus, people are prevented from being unemployed for a long time. The stability of the Swedish labor market, the fact that strikes and crises are at a minimum level compared to other European countries suggest that this model is working successfully.
Active labor market policy supports employment of needy and physically and other disabled persons. The state takes initiatives and allocates subsidies for the employment of vulnerable people. For this purpose, it organizes trainings and professional courses to increase the human capital of these population groups, provides subsidies to entrepreneurs to provide employment to such people, and organizes other services in the field of employment. The purpose of this policy is to increase the employment opportunities of both sexes and ensure an easy transition to structural changes when needed. At this time, people's skills are taken into consideration and job opportunities are offered accordingly. Society must provide suitable conditions for the working environment, and individuals must also develop their knowledge and skills in accordance with the labor market requirements.
Unemployment insurance, being an important element of adjustment in the labor market, ensures the recognition of the need for continuous structural change in the economy. In this respect, welfare policy and economic policy are mutually connected. Effective unemployment insurance provides income security and thus preserves a person's independence. A person does not waste time when he is unemployed, he looks for a job and learns new skills and profession for this purpose. As a result, people are more inclined to spend what they earn, which benefits the overall economy.
The scope and direction of Swedish welfare policy is determined by the individual autonomy that this model is based on, a fair and high level of income distribution and the prevention of unequal power positions. Social rights reduce people's dependence on other people and institutions. This principle applies to all social services, from welfare to child benefits to old-age insurance. This includes income equality and proportional representation in the workplace for women and men. This system is based on matching opportunities and desires, ensuring high employment, social participation, and training high-quality workers suitable for the labor market. With the capital allocated to children and their further education, economic independence is formed in them, which then leads to high human capital and personnel potential. Another important feature of the welfare policy is that it is universal and covers the entire population. In addition, there are separate social safety nets for less well-off groups in the country. Universality increases public confidence in public policy and saves additional costs. As already emphasized, education, health care, various care services for children and the elderly are very useful in terms of better provision of society's welfare and fair distribution of income. Having social and health insurance allows people to use these services for free or for a small fee whenever they want. It also provides equal development opportunities for everyone from high school to work environment. Equal development means equal job opportunities and income equality. High-quality welfare services not only lead to a fair and equal distribution of income, but more work leads to an increase in the useful employment ratio and thus to an increase in GDP. Economic well-being is the key to material well-being, for this purpose human capital must be high. As a result of this policy, Sweden is at the forefront of countries with a knowledge-based and high-quality human capital-based economy. High-quality education makes this nation one of the societies with an advanced science and research culture in the world. Parallel work of education with the business sector has made it easier for students to find a job, and has led to the country's high competitiveness in both areas.
The economic policy is based on stabilizing the country's economy, ensuring openness and competition. Transparency and openness are among the principles underlying the country's economic policy. An economy built according to structural changes to respond to international competition creates conditions for sustainable and high employment. One of the reasons for Sweden's prosperity is that the country's companies are competitive in the world market and can provide high-quality products that meet demand. Globalization and its demands for specialization and continuous technical development create great opportunities for higher prosperity, but also bring risks for companies and individuals. The general economic policy is based on the development of a dynamic business sector resistant to international competition and the production of high-quality products. Thanks to the measures taken in the field of labor policy and unemployment insurance, people acquire a new job in a short time and develop permanently. The country's openness to foreign investments, transparent tax policy and minimal risks have made it an attractive country for international companies and corporations. This ensures that the country has an innovative economy. With this in mind, the Swedish model can be briefly described as follows: Prosperity should be both increased and equally distributed. Interactions and joint action are important, and not only the state and individuals, but also other social partners should participate in the economic sphere.
History and characteristics of the Swedish social model
At the end of the 19th century, under the influence of the Industrial Revolution, the population in Sweden's cities increased and a new middle class began to form. In 1900, Swedish writer and feminist Ellen Key's work "the age of children" became one of the fundamental works that played an important role in the formation of ideas in this direction in Europe by bringing to attention once again the importance of social assistance and services and care for children in this field. The new middle class often referred to this book in the matter of raising and educating children. This led to the emergence of new approaches to the care of children, their education and training. After the debate reached the state level, in 1902 the Children's Guardianship Act was passed. In the same year, another law was passed on the appropriate rules of conduct (against violence) in places of detention with minors and teenagers who commit crimes. The law was intended to protect children. A law passed in 1924 allowed children to be taken from their parents if necessary, even against their will. The purpose here was to protect children from criminal families and a negative lifestyle in the future. For this purpose, special child welfare committees were created and entrusted with this work. After that, there was a stabilization in this area in the Swedish society and an improvement in the behavior towards children. In the second half of the 20th century, Sweden enjoyed economic stability and prosperity, numerous professional social workers in child care, specialized institutions and civil societies were already popular throughout the country. In 1960, the "Child Welfare Act" was passed. In 1974, Titmuss proposed the “three-stage model of social policy” and with this the welfare states began to be typified. Based on this typology, three models of welfare states began to be distinguished: Social-democratic or institutional, corporate-catholic or work-based and Liberal. The law was mainly administrative in nature and focused on evaluating the work done in the direction of child welfare. Nevertheless, there were some stereotypes in the society that children from troubled families would be troubled. The next law adopted in 1980 took into account such issues and made some changes to the previous laws. The notion that troubled childhood is directly related to family behavior has lost its importance. The law introduced a new approach to solving the problem theoretically and practically, revealing a more holistic and comprehensive vision in the field of child welfare. Strict control of child welfare services has shifted from the state to voluntary parent and non-governmental organizations working in this field. The state began to perform a regulatory function instead of an executive one. The main goal here was to meet the needs of families and build a system accordingly. Although some changes and additions have been made to the law, it has been the main law in Sweden in the field of child welfare since 1982. The child welfare system in this country combines two important elements, the family-oriented system and child protection. The main target here is the needs of families and children. Another important feature is that local social service organizations and the municipality should work together with families in this area and support their personal and psycho-social development. In 1989-1990, they carried out the reforms in Sweden, which were later called the "tax reform of the century". This reduced the tax burden of the middle class. The marginal tax for high-income families was cut in half.
In Sweden, regional and local authorities have the main role in welfare services. One of the distinguishing features of social service here, in Scandinavian countries in general, is its equal distribution in the family, equal work of mother and father in the field of care for children. The active role of municipalities in social policy facilitates the work of the central and regional government in this area, along with implementing this work more appropriately. According to the Social Services Act adopted in 1982, municipalities organize public social services. Municipalities are independent in choosing the solution and there are considerable differences between them in this area. The Social Services Act has been revised several times since 1982 and was last amended in 2002. Although the law envisages a specific target, it allows state officials to act according to their individual approach in these areas, which also takes into account the differences between different regions of the country.
Objectives of the act:
The listed issues can be achieved by doing work at the community level and providing certain social services. For this, it is required to be well informed about the standard of living of the population, to participate closely in the life of the society, and to participate in the improvement of these conditions. The provided services can be general or individual-specific. There are also some special laws relating to care for individuals and families, the elderly and the disabled. According to the Social Services Act, it is the duty of every municipality to provide the care and support that people in their area need. The municipality is responsible for every person living in that area. These obligations are based on providing services to people outside of working hours, providing them with help whenever they need it, this function is called social jour (Social jour). Municipalities are directly responsible for all types of emergencies. They also provide psychosocial support (Krisstod). The act states that if a person's needs cannot be met in other ways, he must be guaranteed an acceptable standard of living. Municipalities have these obligations towards people who temporarily live in the area where they are located.
Social service organizations and areas of activity
In Sweden, social services are comprehensive and occupy a central place in the activities of all public institutions, from the smallest administrative body to the central government. Because Sweden is a social state and the main goal of the state is to protect the health and well-being of its citizens. The basis of the great success of the social service sector in this country is the attention paid to it by the state and the population, the presence of high decentralization to facilitate work and reduce bureaucratic obstacles, and the decisions and norms applied by the state in this regard in the labor market. Another reason that eases the work is the distribution of social services based on the provision of the population, age groups, and physical and psychological conditions. Such as support and education services for early childhood, paternity, maternity and child-rearing leave for working people, conditions created by workplaces to give more time to elderly parents in need, equal work for women and men in working life for gender equality. price, ensuring equality of leisure and working hours, the importance of equal care of the child(ren) by the father and mother in case of divorce, comprehensive pension policy and other factors are still the goal for most countries of the world today. Women are active participants in the life of society and the labor market. At least 60% of women work officially, which is a high rate even among European countries. This is sometimes called the dual model because both genders participate equally.
In Sweden, a system called Komvux provides vocational training for students so that they can get a job after school. It is directly controlled by the state's higher education institution (Skolverket). This system also opens the way to higher education for workers and professionals and prepares them for it. The system is free, the state provides the necessary funding to the local government for this purpose. The education system is similar to high school education, and re-education can be provided here for the elderly as well. In all cases, a full educational program is implemented. In recent years, the cases of integration of unemployed young people into this system have increased. Most of the Komvux participants are women, and migrants who come to the country also successfully use this system to enter Swedish higher education institutions. Considering the listed features, we see that the Swedish model also has administrative intervention. In the system, also known as the preventive welfare state, state institutions work together to ensure the basic needs of the population and intervene directly when necessary. Constant attention is paid to the situation of families, projects are implemented every year to improve it, the family, especially the maintenance of children, their upbringing with proper care, and the social security of parents raising children are always paid attention to. This service continues with the same quality in the field of healthcare. To compensate the budget allocated for all these purposes, high taxes are imposed on non-food products, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and psychotropic drugs. Such regulation both reduces the use of harmful products of this type and directs the collected tax to more efficient areas.
The conducted research and analyzes show that for the construction of a successful social system and welfare state, along with strong scientific-theoretical foundations, public opinion, historical-cultural values, the system of relationships and the transparency of state-citizen relations, the protection of the population's welfare and rights and freedoms are also important. These listed factors play an important role as links in the chain, and the presence of a problem in any one of them hinders the work of the overall system. Here, we also emphasize that personal interests should be placed in the background for the sake of common interests, a successful balance of work and family life, joint efforts of both sexes to ensure gender equality, parallel and consistent education and work life, development of the general economy by maintaining the stability of the labor market, lifelong we see the joint functioning of the education and social security system, the protection of the social rights of migrants and foreigners as well as citizens. By ensuring the availability of products of daily needs for people, the state at the same time maximally prevents situations harmful to human health and the interests of society, and encourages them to benevolent activities. All this is regulated by a strong legislative framework and constantly monitored. For the successful provision of social services, the importance of the joint activity of state institutions and civil society, the importance of increasing the capabilities of local administration and facilitating bureaucratic mechanisms, the importance of taking into account human needs and interests, and the opinion of the population, becomes clear once again. Thanks to them, both people's lives become easier and effective management is performed. Taking into account all this, it can be concluded that in order to build an effective and successful social policy model, a welfare model, the state and citizens should work more closely together and be open to each other and be honest. This can be said not only for social, but also for other areas.
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