The Quest for a Divided Welfare State : Sweden in the Era of Privatization

This book deals with the quest for a divided welfare state in Sweden. The prime example is the rapid rise of private health insurance, which now constitutes a parallel system characterized by state subsidies for some and not for others. This functions as a kind of reverse means-testing, whereby primarily the upper classes get state support for new types of welfare consumption. Innovatively, Lapidus explains how such a parallel system requires not only direct and statutory state support but also indirect support, for example, from infrastructure built for the public health system. He goes on to examine how semi-private welfare funding is dependent on private provision and how the so-called 'hidden welfare state' gradually erodes the visible and former universal welfare state model, in direct contrast to its own stated goals. Who benefits from privatized welfare? How are the privatization of delivery and the privatization of funding linked? How does this impact public willingness to pay tax? All of these questions and more are discussed in this accessible volume. Front Matter ....Pages i-viii The Divided Welfare State (John Lapidus)....Pages 1-16 To Buy Ahead (John Lapidus)....Pages 17-32 Private Provision and Private Funding (John Lapidus)....Pages 33-48 State as Sponsor (John Lapidus)....Pages 49-68 Half-Private Healthcare (John Lapidus)....Pages 69-86 Half-Private Elderly Care (John Lapidus)....Pages 87-97 Half-Private Education (John Lapidus)....Pages 99-109 Relieve or Hollow Out (John Lapidus)....Pages 111-124 A Farewell to Trust and Tax Willingness (John Lapidus)....Pages 125-136 A Spiral of Rising Costs (John Lapidus)....Pages 137-149 A Burden for the Common (John Lapidus)....Pages 151-163 Rhetoric and Practice (John Lapidus)....Pages 165-180 The Ambivalent Actors (John Lapidus)....Pages 181-198 Right or Commodity (John Lapidus)....Pages 199-208 The Twisted Debate (John Lapidus)....Pages 209-222 Future Funding of Welfare (John Lapidus)....Pages 223-234 A Choice Between Two Models (John Lapidus)....Pages 235-238 Back Matter ....Pages 239-244