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Social welfare in Sweden is made up of several organizations and systems dealing with welfare. It is mostly funded by taxes, and executed by the public sector on all levels of government as well as private organisations. It can be separated into three parts falling under three different ministeries; social welfare, falling under the responsibility of Ministry of Health and Social Affairs; education, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Research and labour market, under the responsibility of Ministry of Employment. ^[1]

History

The start of the Swedish welfare system was the poor relief organized by the church. This became obligatory in 1734 when each parish was required to have a almshouse.^[2] During the 19th century private sick benefit societies was started, and in 1891 these became regulated and subsidized.^[3] The Liberal Party government passed the National Pension Act in 1913 to provide security for the aged ^[4] and in 1934 the private unemployment societies was regulated and subsidized in a way similar to the sick benefit societies.^{[citation needed]}

In 1961 the private sick benefit societies was replaced with county-level public insurance societies who also handled pensions.^{[citation needed]} The independent and mostly union-run unemployment benefit societies has been more centrally regulated and levels are now regulated by the government.^[5]

Social welfare

The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs is responsible for welfare. This is defined as financial security in the case of illness, old age and for the family; social services; health care; promotion of health and childrens rights; individual help for persons with disabilities and coordination of the national disability policies. ^[6]

Health care

Sweden's entire population has equal access to the public health care services. The Swedish health care system is publicly-funded and run by the county councils. The health care system in Sweden is financed primarily through taxes levied by county councils and municipalities. The health care providers of the public system are generally owned by the county councils, although the managing of the hospitals are often done by private companies after a public tender. During the last decade several county councils have started using a Fee-for-service system for primary health care under the name "VårdVal".

Dental care is not quite as subsidized as other health care, and the dentists decide on their own treatment prices.^[7]

Elderly care

Elderly care in Sweden is the responsibility of the local municipalities. There are both retirement homes as well as home care, with home care on the rise.^{[citation needed]}

Social security

The Swedish social security is mainly handled by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and encompasses many separate benefits.^[8] The major ones are:

"Barnbidrag" and "Föräldrapenning": Monetary support for children up to 16, and benefits to be able to be home from work to take care of their children for up to 480 days per child. It also includes special benefits to care about sick and disabled children.
"Bostadsbidrag": Housing allowances for young people and people with children who otherwise can't afford housing.
"Sjukpenning", "Sjukersättning" and "Handikappersättning": Benefits if you are ill or disabled and can't work.
"Ålderspension", "Garantipension": Benefits for those who have retired.

There is also a right to income supplements for those who does not have enough income to survive by themselves. This is given out purely on a need-bases and handled by each municipality's social service.^[9]

Education

Education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Research. Education responsibilities includes pre-school and child care for school children as well as adult education.^[10]

Labour market

The labour market policies fall under the responsibilities of the Ministry of Employment. The responsibilities considered to be a part of the welfare system includes unemployment benefits, activation benefits, arbetsförmedling, arbetsmarknadspolitiska program, jobb- och utvecklingsgarantin, nystartsjobb och Europeiska socialfonden.

References

^ "Regeringskansliet med departementen" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2010-02-26.
^ "26. Cap. Huru almänne hus skola byggas.". Sweriges Rikes Lag - Gillad och Antagen på Riksdagen Åhr 1734 (PDF) (in Swedish). Vol. Bygninga balk. Stockholm: P.A. Norstedt & Söner. 1841 [1734]. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
^ Lester B. Orfield (2002). The Growth of Scandinavian Law. The Lawbook Exchange Ltd. p. 299. Retrieved 2011-05-09. Up to 1951 the Swedish sickness insurance system has been that of subsidization of private sick benefit societies or sjukkassor. Since 1891 these societies has been subjected to more and more state supervision. At the same time they have received subsidies from both the national and local governments.
^ Lag om allmän pensionsförsäkring den 30 juni 1913.
^ Lag (1997:238) om arbetslöshetsförsäkring (in Swedish) {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
^ "Socialdepartementets ansvarsområden" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2010-02-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
^ "Swedish health care and social security". Sweden.se. Retrieved 2011-05-15. {{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
^ "Social Insurance in 10 minutes" (pdf). Försäkringskassan. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
^ "Ekonomiskt bistånd" (in Swedish). Government offices of Sweden. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
^ "Ansvarsområden" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2010-02-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[departementen-1] "Regeringskansliet med departementen" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2010-02-26.

[byggningabalk26-2] "26. Cap. Huru almänne hus skola byggas.". Sweriges Rikes Lag - Gillad och Antagen på Riksdagen Åhr 1734 (PDF) (in Swedish). Vol. Bygninga balk. Stockholm: P.A. Norstedt & Söner. 1841 [1734]. Retrieved 2011-05-09.

[orfield-3] Lester B. Orfield (2002). The Growth of Scandinavian Law. The Lawbook Exchange Ltd. p. 299. Retrieved 2011-05-09. Up to 1951 the Swedish sickness insurance system has been that of subsidization of private sick benefit societies or sjukkassor. Since 1891 these societies has been subjected to more and more state supervision. At the same time they have received subsidies from both the national and local governments.

[sfs-1913:120-4] Lag om allmän pensionsförsäkring den 30 juni 1913.

[5] Lag (1997:238) om arbetslöshetsförsäkring (in Swedish) {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)

[mhsa_responsibilities-6] "Socialdepartementets ansvarsområden" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2010-02-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[7] "Swedish health care and social security". Sweden.se. Retrieved 2011-05-15. {{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)

[8] "Social Insurance in 10 minutes" (pdf). Försäkringskassan. Retrieved 2011-05-15.

[9] "Ekonomiskt bistånd" (in Swedish). Government offices of Sweden. Retrieved 2011-05-15.

[mer_responsibilities-10] "Ansvarsområden" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2010-02-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

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+'''Social welfare in Sweden''' is made up of several organizations and systems dealing with welfare. It is mostly funded by taxes, and executed by the [[public sector]] on all levels of government as well as private organisations. It can be separated into three parts falling under three different ministeries; social welfare, falling under the responsibility of [[Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (Sweden)|Ministry of Health and Social Affairs]]; education, under the responsibility of the [[Ministry of Education and Research (Sweden)| Ministry of Education and Research]] and labour market, under the responsibility of [[Ministry of Employment (Sweden)|Ministry of Employment]].  <ref name="departementen">{{cite web |url = http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/385 |title = Regeringskansliet med departementen |accessdate = 2010-02-26 |language = Swedish}}</ref>
-'''Swedish welfare''' refers to the Swedish variant of the [[welfare state]]. Similar systems are found especially in the other [[Nordic countries]]<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_security_in_Finland</ref>.
-The term "Swedish model" has also been used as a label.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} The September 2006 issue of [[The Australian Financial Review]] magazine carried an article which praised what it asserted to be Sweden's distinctive political and social system, while [[The Economist]] carried an article in its September 7, 2006 issue which featured interviews with Swedish economist [[Assar Lindbeck]] who was critical of the achievements of the Swedish welfare state.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7880173 The Swedish Model : Admire the Best, Forget the Rest], by [[The Economist]]</ref>
+== History ==
+The start of the Swedish welfare system was the [[poor relief]] organized by the church. This became obligatory in 1734 when each parish was required to have a [[almshouse]].<ref name="byggningabalk26">{{cite book |title=Sweriges Rikes Lag - Gillad och Antagen på Riksdagen Åhr 1734 |volume=Bygninga balk |chapter=26. Cap. Huru almänne hus skola byggas. |language=Swedish |origyear=1734 |year=1841 |publisher=P.A. Norstedt & Söner |location=Stockholm |url=http://wisberg.se/wisberg.se/pdf/1734/4bygg.pdf |accessdate=2011-05-09}}</ref> During the 19th century private sick benefit societies was started, and in 1891 these became regulated and subsidized.<ref name="orfield">{{cite book |title=The Growth of Scandinavian Law |author=Lester B. Orfield |year=2002 |publisher=The Lawbook Exchange Ltd |quote=Up to 1951 the Swedish sickness insurance system has been that of subsidization of private sick benefit societies or ''sjukkassor''. Since 1891 these societies has been subjected to more and more state supervision. At the same time they have received subsidies from both the national and local governments. |page=299 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=133bkwvienYC&lpg=PA299&dq=sjukkassor%201891&pg=PA299#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=2011-05-09}}</ref> The Liberal Party government passed the National Pension Act in 1913 to provide security for the aged <ref name="sfs-1913:120">{{cite book |title=Lag om allmän pensionsförsäkring den 30 juni 1913}}</ref> and in 1934 the private unemployment societies was regulated and subsidized in a way similar to the sick benefit societies.{{cn}}
+In 1961 the private sick benefit societies was replaced with county-level public insurance societies who also handled pensions.{{cn}} The independent and mostly union-run unemployment benefit societies has been more centrally regulated and levels are now regulated by the government.<ref>{{cite |title=Lag (1997:238) om arbetslöshetsförsäkring |language=Swedish |accessdate=2011-05-15 }}</ref>
-==History==
-In 1847 and 1853 Sweden passed "poor relief laws", taking the first step towards implementing the welfare state.  As early as 1913, Sweden's Liberal Party government (non-socialist) began broadening the range of social benefits. It took most other developed countries until the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s to take similar steps.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} The Liberal Party government passed the National Pension Act in 1913 to provide security for the aged. In 1918 a liberal-social democratic coalition government passed a new poor law, turning the responsibility of assisting anyone in need over to local governments, while the central government contributed administrative support. This law was to remain the cornerstone of Sweden's assistance programs for the next 40 years.
+== Social welfare ==
-In 1938 the [[Saltsjöbaden Agreement]] (named after what was then the small resort community of [[Saltsjöbaden]], 15km south-east of Stockholm) between the workers and employers confederations was signed. It resolved several issues on the market. It came to form a particular form of industrial relations in Sweden, the so-called “Saltsjöbaden spirit”, marked by willingness to co-operate and a mutual sense of responsibility for developments in the labour market.<ref>[http://www.eurofound.eu.int/emire/SWEDEN/ANCHOR-SALTSJ-Ouml-BADSAVTALET-SE.html The Saltjö agreement] At the [[European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions]] website.</ref>
+The [[Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (Sweden)|Ministry of Health and Social Affairs]] is responsible for welfare. This is defined as [[Security (finance)|financial security]] in the case of illness, old age and for the family; social services; [[health care]]; promotion of health and childrens rights; individual help for persons with disabilities and coordination of the national disability policies.  <ref name="mhsa_responsibilities">{{cite web |url = http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/2485 |title = Socialdepartementets ansvarsområden |accessdate = 2010-02-26 |language = Swedish |}}</ref>
+=== Health care ===
-Sweden's social welfare continued to develop during the 1950s and 1960s, during which time Sweden was the third wealthiest country in the world for a period, with practically zero unemployment. The Welfare State then reached a peak in the 1970s,{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} when it in effect affected and included everyone from [[child care]] to the [[pension system]] (see [[Social Security (Sweden)]]).
+{{Main|Healthcare in Sweden}}
+Sweden's entire population has equal access to the public health care services. The Swedish [[health care]] system is [[Publicly-funded health care|publicly-funded]] and run by the [[County Councils of Sweden|county councils]]. The health care system in Sweden is financed primarily through taxes levied by county councils and municipalities. The health care providers of the public system are generally owned by the county councils, although the managing of the hospitals are often done by private companies after a [[public tender]]. During the last decade several county councils have started using a [[Health care systems#Fee-for-service|Fee-for-service]] system for primary health care under the name "VårdVal".
+Dental care is not quite as subsidized as other health care, and the dentists decide on their own treatment prices.<ref>{{cite web |title=Swedish health care and social security |url=http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Society/Health-care/Reading/Swedish-health-care-and-social-security/ |authors=Rikard Lagerberg & Emma Randecker |publisher=Sweden.se |accessdate=2011-05-15}}</ref>
+=== Elderly care ===
+{{expand section}}
+Elderly care in Sweden is the responsibility of the [[Municipalities of Sweden|local municipalities]]. There are both [[retirement homes]] as well as [[home care]], with home care on the rise.{{cn}}
+=== Social security ===
+{{Main|Social Security (Sweden)}}
+The Swedish social security is mainly handled by the [[Swedish Social Insurance Agency]] and encompasses many separate benefits.<ref>{{cite web |title=Social Insurance in 10 minutes |format=pdf |url=http://www.forsakringskassan.se/irj/go/km/docs/fk_publishing/Dokument/Publikationer/Faktablad/Andra_sprak/Engelska/socfors_10min_eng.pdf |language=english |accessdate=2011-05-15 |publisher=[[Försäkringskassan]]}}</ref> The major ones are:
+* "Barnbidrag" and "Föräldrapenning": Monetary support for children up to 16, and benefits to be able to be home from work to take care of their children for up to 480 days per child. It also includes special benefits to care about sick and disabled children.
+* "Bostadsbidrag": Housing allowances for young people and people with children who otherwise can't afford housing.
+* "Sjukpenning", "Sjukersättning" and "Handikappersättning": Benefits if you are ill or disabled and can't work.
+* "Ålderspension", "Garantipension": Benefits for those who have retired.
+There is also a right to income supplements for those who does not have enough income to survive by themselves. This is given out purely on a need-bases and handled by each [[Municipalities of Sweden|municipality]]'s social service.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ekonomiskt bistånd |url=http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/5627/a/55078 |language=swedish |accessdate=2011-05-15 |publisher=Government offices of Sweden}}</ref>
+== Education ==
+{{Main|Education in Sweden}}
+Education is the responsibility of the [[Ministry of Education and Research (Sweden)| Ministry of Education and Research]]. Education responsibilities includes pre-school and child care for school children as well as adult education.<ref name="mer_responsibilities">{{cite web |url = http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/1454/a/15633 |title = Ansvarsområden |accessdate = 2010-02-26 |language = Swedish |}}</ref>
+== Labour market ==
+{{Main|Unemployment benefits in Sweden}}
+The labour market policies fall under the responsibilities of the [[Ministry of Employment (Sweden)|Ministry of Employment]]. The responsibilities considered to be a part of the welfare system includes unemployment benefits, activation benefits,  arbetsförmedling, arbetsmarknadspolitiska program, jobb- och utvecklingsgarantin, nystartsjobb och Europeiska socialfonden.
 ==See also==
-* [[Social Security (Sweden)]]
 * [[Nordic model]]
 * [[Social Model]]
 * [[Constitutional economics]]
-==Notes==
+== References ==
+{{Reflist|2}}
-<!--This article uses the Cite.php citation mechanism. If you would like more information on how to add footnotes to this article, please see http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cite/Cite.php -->
-<references/>
-==Further reading==
-* [[Roland Huntford]], ''[[The New Totalitarians]]'' , Allen Lane (1971). ISBN-13: 978-0713902600
-* Sven R. Larson, ''Remaking America: Welcome to the Dark Side of the Welfare State'' , iUniverse.com (August 31, 2010). ISBN-13: 978-1450243827
-* Peter A. Swenson, ''Capitalists Against Markets: The Making of Labor Markets and Welfare States in the United States and Sweden'' , Oxford University Press (September, 2002). ISBN 0-19-514297-7
-==External links==
-* [http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/510 The Myth of the Scandinavian Model], by Martin De Vlieghere, Paul Vreymans and Willy De Wit
-* [http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=11488 Swedish Models] by [[Johan Norberg]]
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Swedish Welfare}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Swedish welfare system}}
-[[Category:Politics of Sweden]]
+[[Category:Government of Sweden]]
-[[Category:Swedish Social Democratic Party]]
+[[Category:Swedish society]]
-[[Category:Welfare in Sweden| ]]
+[[Category:Retirement]]
+[[Category:Welfare in Sweden]]
 [[de:Schwedischer Wohlfahrtsstaat]]