Not equally bad? The Swedish welfare state transformation and its impact on poverty and inequality in comparative perspective
Research has shown that the Swedish welfare state has become less universal, while the degree of redistribution has decreased and relative poverty has increased. In light of these trends, this project will analyse how social policy changes affect economic standards in low-income households. Questions asked are: How did inequality evolve among low-income households? To what extent have changes in poverty rates been driven by changing social risks on the one hand and by changing links between these risks and poverty on the other? To what extent can these trends be explained by changing social policy institutions?
Details
- Period: 2024-01-01 – 2026-12-31
- Budget: 3,706,000 SEK
- Funder: Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare
Description
The project combines longitudinal analysis of Sweden with a comparative perspective, based on data from around 30 welfare states between 1990 and the 2020s. Comparable longitudinal data on household living standards from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) will be combined with indicators reflecting changes in transfer and tax systems, from the Social Policy Indicators (SPIN). A combination of decomposition and regression analyses will be used to explore trends and relationships between household living standards and the evolution of social protection systems.
Project leader Sebastian Sirén:
At a time when the Swedish social policy model is facing a crossroads, the results of the project will form the basis for in-depth discussions on the ongoing transformation of the welfare state, contribute new knowledge about the living conditions of vulnerable groups, and provide insights into how policies to reduce poverty and inequality can be developed. The project will also contribute to international debates on the effectiveness of welfare states in the light of disappointing trends in poverty and inequality, and shed light on how changes in recent decades have reshaped Swedish welfare policy.