Swedish cabinet
and justice ministry
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WELCOME LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENCY
Dear Delegates of Eyüboğlu Model Government Europe 2017,
As the committee board of Swedish cabinet and justice ministry, we would like to
congratulate you all for your accommodated positions. I am Ata Doğuş Çavdar and I’m a
senior in Eyüboğlu College. I will be your President of “Swedish Cabinet and Justice
Ministry”and my Vice-President is Özge Ergenç from Cent College. We are both waiting to
meet you all delegates and hope that we will have a fruitful conference☺.
Please do not hesitate to contact us via.
[email protected] or [email protected]
Regards,
Presidency
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Overview of the Issue
According to a narrow definition, the welfare state comprises two types of government
spending arrangements: cash benefits to households (transfers, including mandatory income
insurance) and subsidies or direct government provision of human services (such as child
care, pre-schooling, education, health care, and old-age care). By broader definitions, the
welfare state may also include price regulation (such as rent control and agricultural price
support), housing policies, regulation of the work environment, job-security legislation, and
environmental policies. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity,
equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves
of the minimal provisions for a good life. Modern welfare states include Germany, France, the
United Kingdom and the Netherlands, as well as the Nordic countries, such as Iceland,
Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland which employ a system known as the Nordic model.
[Chart : Each country’s public spending on social welfare, as a percentage of GDP, according
to data from OECD]
The welfare state involves a transfer of funds from the state, to the services provided (i.e.,
healthcare, education, etc.), as well as directly to individuals ("benefits"). It is funded
through redistributionist taxation and is often referred to as a type of "mixed economy". Such
taxation usually includes a larger income tax for people with higher incomes, called
a progressive tax. Proponents argue that this helps reduce the income gap between the rich
and poor. However welfare states are seen as perpetuate empty, short-term remedies for social
problems that require far deeper attention due to lack of efficiency they tend to have which
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differs from one country to another. By offering citizens a system of unconditional
government support, welfare states disincentivize personal responsibility. When the benefits
of not working are conceived to outweigh the benefits of working, major problems
arise. Moreover big government expenditures like welfare states require heavy taxation, and
where taxes are higher, disposable income is reduced which concerns the citizens of the
countries. Welfare states also cause social fractures. By blurring the lines between the jobseeking unemployed, those who cannot work, and the professional unemployed, welfare states
fuel a stratification of class biases. This feeds a dissection of social groups shaped by
perceptions of social identity rather than by common affinity.
Background Information
The Swedish welfare state (also called the "Swedish Model") is based on the idea that
everyone has a right to health care, family services, old-age pensions and other social benefits
regardless of income. Since everyone is entitled to these benefits, everyone must pay for them
through their taxes.
Sweden began to build its welfare state early in the 20th century and greatly expanded it
between 1945 and 1975. Up to the 1970s, the "Swedish Model" succeeded for several
reasons. First, the Swedish economy grew steadily during this period. Second, Sweden did not
participate in World War II and so, unlike other European nations, it did not have to make a
painful recovery from the war. Third, its defense budget was small. Fourth, the country did
not have to deal with any immigration problems. Sweden had a small population with a
common cultural background.
The welfare state has been the vision of the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SDP), which
was founded in 1889. The SDP aimed at building a system that would provide workers (and
later all Swedes) with health insurance, old-age pensions, protection from unemployment, and
other social benefits financed by taxes on workers and employers. The SDP called its vision
for a welfare state the "people's home."
The SDP gained control of the government in the 1930s and remained in power for most of
the following 60 years. In 1937, the Swedish parliament, called the Riksdag, created a
national old-age pension program that remains as the backbone of the welfare state to this day.
Following World War II, the SDP government greatly expanded the welfare state. It provided
a long list of benefits for all citizens and even immigrant workers. It introduced a national
compulsory health insurance system, which was later expanded to include dental care and
prescription drugs. It passed into law low-cost housing, child-support payments to parents,
child-care subsidies, a mandatory four-week vacation for all workers, unemployment
insurance, and additional old-age pension benefits. Most of these things were financed by
sharp increases in employer social security taxes. But a booming economy with
unemployment usually less than 1 percent made the new social welfare programs possible.
By the mid-1970s, the SDP's had largely realized its vision of a "people's home" welfare state.
All Swedes, regardless of need, could call upon the government to provide them with
benefits. Most are available at no charge to the individual or family. Some "subsidized"
benefits require persons to pay a partial fee, usually according to one's income.
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Because of the extensive number of benefits available to all age and income groups, poverty
was virtually abolished in Sweden by the 1970s. But there are those who still need extra help
during hard economic times.
Benefits and Burdens
The Swedish welfare state has all but eliminated poverty, especially among the elderly and
families with children. The typical married retired couple receives pension and supplemental
payments that almost equal their pre-retirement income.
While there is little doubt that the Swedish people have benefited from the "Swedish Model,"
they also have one of the heaviest tax burdens in the world. Today, an average Swedish
working family pays about half its earned income in national and local taxes. Swedes also pay
taxes on investment income. In addition, Sweden has a national 25 percent sales tax that is
built into the price of consumer goods. Beyond this, employers must pay corporate taxes and
make payments into government pension, unemployment, and other social welfare funds. The
resulting tax burden is so heavy that Swedes have a special word for it, skattetrat, which
means "tax tiredness."
[Chart : Sweden personal income tax rate, according to data from Swedish Tax Agency]
Starting in the mid-1970s, the Swedish economy began to slow down. Among other things,
Swedish exports had become too expensive due to the high wages and payments made by
employers into the different government welfare-state programs. As economic growth slowed,
Sweden found it increasingly difficult to pay for its system of social-welfare benefits.
Can the Welfare State Continue?
As inflation, unemployment, and the government budget deficit grew, many working people
started to complain about the burden of paying for the expensive pension system. Others
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objected to the lack of choice in a society where the government runs almost all social
services.
In 1991, a conservative government took control of the government and tried to rein in the
welfare state. It cut some benefits as well as taxes. But these actions came during a worldwide recession, and unemployment in Sweden soared to an unprecedented 13 percent.
Fearing that the conservative government was going too far in cutting back the welfare state,
Swedish voters returned the Social Democratic Party to power in 1994. Late in 1997, with
both the deficit and unemployment down, the SDP government reversed course and declared
it was time to restore and even expand some social welfare benefits. But many doubt whether
the "Swedish Model" of a welfare state that benefits everyone can continue at the level that
most Swedes have come to expect.
Ministries:
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The Swedish Migration Agency: The main body that deals with the refugees is the
“Swedish Migration Agency”. It is responsible for the border pass, allocation of the
refugees and so on. ( https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Privateindividuals.html )
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Ministry of Justice ( http://www.government.se/government-of-sweden/ministry-ofjustice/ )
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Ministry of Finance ( http://www.government.se/government-of-sweden/ministry-offinance/ )
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Ministry of Education and Research ( http://www.government.se/government-ofsweden/ministry-of-education-and-research/ )
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Ministry of Employment ( http://www.government.se/government-of-sweden/
ministry-of-employment/ )
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Ministry of Health and Social Affairs ( http://www.government.se/government-ofsweden/ministry-of-health-and-social-affairs/ )
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The Swedish Police Authority ( https://polisen.se/en/Languages/The-Swedish-Police/
The-Swedish-Police-Authority/ )
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Solutions:
There are some main issues that are needed to be taken care of. These are the economical
weight that the caretake of the refugees bring, the problem of cultural adaptation of the
refugees and the crime rate that has increased with the increasing number of refugees.
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Economical issue: The main economic problem that Sweden will face in 2017 is the
housing issue of the upcoming refugees which is approximated as 34,700 for the time
being. There isn’t enough shelter for the refugees to be located and building new
accommodations for such large numbers bring huge expenses that the Swedish
government could not deal with. Another thing that should be noted is the spending
made for the refugees. Sweden received 163,000 asylum seekers in 2015 (the highest
per capita ratio ever registered in the OECD at 1.6% of total population), spent €6
billion (1.35% of GDP) (“Migration Policy Debates”).
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Cultural issue: The differences between Swedish and Islamic culture causes a great
amount of trouble for the refugees to adept the regulation in Sweden which result with
acts against laws. One of the regulations regarding this issue that should be focused on
is the education of the refugees. The regulations followed by the Swedish schools do
not show the wanted effects on the children enough.Swedish schools ought to follow
the example of Finnish schools, where special need is given to pupils of 7-8 years,
instead of when they are 14-15 when it is too hard and late to change the mind of the
children as is done in Sweden. Pedagogical approach used in Finland could be
beneficial for immigrants in Sweden (“How bad is the immigration problem in
Sweden?”).
Another point that needs attention is the unemployment rate of the refugees. Since a
great amount of them don’t have a good level of education, they are not able to find
any jobs in Sweden. This problem is also, due to the lack of jobs requiring low levels
of education.
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Safety issue: The crime rate in Sweden has increased significantly from 2005 to 2015.
The main reason in this increase is due to the refugees that seek asylum in Sweden.
One of the crime rates that has increased significantly is the sexual assaults. The main
reason for such a crime to increase significantly is again due to cultural differences but
also, due to safety regulations that are being followed.
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[Chart: 1987 Migrant males in crime active age, 15-44. Divided according to data from Brå
report 2005:17. Low crime activity (blue), High crime activity (yellow), Very high crime
activity (red)]
[Chart: 2000 Migrant males in crime active age, 15-44. Divided according to data from Brå
report 2005:17. Low crime activity (blue), High crime activity (yellow), Very high crime
activity (red)]
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$
[Chart: 2015 Migrant males in crime active age, 15-44. Divided according to data from Brå
report 2005:17. Low crime activity (blue), High crime activity (yellow), Very high crime
activity (red)]
(“Sweden: Migrants are responsible for 95% of all crimes, overrepresented by +430%”)
From the charts given above, the increase in the rate of crimes due to refugees can be seen
clearly. The solutions for cultural issues have been mentioned already. So, in this part, the
solutions for safety problems that give such a result for the increase in rate of crimes will be
mentioned.
Firstly, it should be noted that the police forces in Sweden do not have the authority to carry
weapons with them. Normally, this act is to prove that Sweden is a welfare state. However,
because of the insistency to preserve the image of Sweden, the country is not able to handle
the acts against laws.
Secondly, it should be noted that since the refugees come from a different culture and from a
country with different regulations of laws, they claim that their acts are due to their culture
which result with the drop of their cases. This allows the refugees to act against Swedish laws
freely. To solve this issue, the Swedish laws must be accepted as the lawsthat the refugees
must follow. Also, the enforcements for the acts against laws must be reorganised as well.
Since the regulations against crimes are not intimidating for the refugees, the laws cannot be
administrated properly.
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Other useful resources for further research:
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http://www.ehl.lu.se/media/ehl/snee/papers/ostbring.pdf
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https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/indexablecontent/uuid:aafaf13b-5c53-4764-8224-94f5a8b1be4d
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http://fhs.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:947342/FULLTEXT01.pdf
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https://www.loc.gov/law/help/refugee-law/sweden.php
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http://www.oecd.org/els/mig/migration-policy-debates-13.pdf
Bibliography:
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Begg, Iain. "Can EU CountriesStillAffordTheirWelfareStates?" BBC News. BBC, 17
Sept. 2015. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
•
Snower, Dennis J. "The Modern WelfareState:
ProblemsandSuggestedReforms."SpringerLink. KluwerAcademicPublishers, Web. 19
Mar. 2017.
•
Rogan, Tom. "WelfareStatesAreUnfairStates." TheWeek AllYouNeedtoKnowaboutEverythingThatMatters. TomRogan, 07 Jan. 2013. Web. 19
Mar. 2017.
•
"WelfareState." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Mar. 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
•
Schiff, Martin. "SWEDISH SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY AND THE FOREIGN
RESIDENT."ScandinavianStudies 46.1 (1974): 31-46. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
•
Costly, Andrew. "BRIA 14 3 C The "Swedish Model":
WelfareForEveryone." ConstitutionalRights Foundation. 1998. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
•
Fisher, Nicole. "Country Case Studiesand Links." EuropeanWelfareStates Information andResources. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
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•
“Migration Policy Debates”. OECD. oecd.org, 13 January 2017. Web. 19 Mar 2017
•
Holmen, Anna. “How bad is the immigration problem in Sweden?”. Quora.
quora.com, 16 May 2015. Web. 19 Mar 2017
•
qSweden: Migrants are responsible for 95% of all crimes, overrepresented
by +430%”. MuslimStatistic. muslimstatistics.wordpress.com, 21 August 2016. Web.
19 Mar 2017
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