Evolution of the Swedish Welfare State
The tw
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The two most important dimensions of the Swedish social insurance system, which serves as the basis of the StateÆs welfare system, are those of universality (i.e., it encompasses the entire population) and of compensation for loss of income (Edebalk, 2000). The decisions that are basic to the Swedish social insurance system, and thus to the Swedish Welfare State, were made during the 1910s, with a universal pension system adopted in 1913, creating the worldÆs first universal public insurance system. This brief report will trace the evolution of the Swedish Welfare State model, commenting upon its current state and its future prospects. That model is seen as increasingly vulnerable as a consequence of changing economic conditions, structural rigidities, and a huge government deficit (13 percent of Gross Domestic Product [GDP]} (Olsen, 1994). Nils Stjernquist (1966) pointed out that the Swedish Constitution, dating from 1809, provides for a distribution of power between king and Parliament (the Riksdag), with the king holding executive power and Parliament having powers of taxation and budget-making. A bicameral system, shared legislative authority between king and Parliament, universal suffrage, and a multiparty system in which the Socialists have tended historically to predominate are characteristics of the system of governance. Stjernquist (1966) states that for the most part, the myriad political parties (including Farmers, Socialists, the Central Party, and Swedish
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tributions in Sweden are paid by the employer through payroll fees than by the employee (as is more common in the United States and some European nations). Total tax revenue in Sweden is 50 percent of GDP, much higher than in all other rich OECD nations (except Denmark) as a consequence, in part, of high county and municipal taxes funding health care and most social service efforts (Olsen, 1999).
Finally, according to Olsen (1999), compared to many of its counterparts, the Swedish welfare state has become over time much more decentralized, with responsibility for medical and health care resting with popularly elected and locally financed country councils. These councils have a considerable degree of freedom in determining the form û and the extent û of care in their particular regions. The provision of almost all other social services and their financing have been primarily the concern of municipal councils and authorities. However, Olsen (1999) makes the point, as do others, that this structure has become over time a critical locus of debate over restructuring of the entire social welfare system apparatus which pits local, regional and national governments against one another.
David Vail (1993) noted as the 1990s were unfold
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Approximate Word count = 2758
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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