Fingernail Polish Poems

Scandinavia: Poverty in the welfare wonderland


On the occasion of the upcoming European Year to combat poverty and social exclusion 2010 the Nordic Institute in Finland , the Information Office of the Nordic Council Mini Ster " north focus" on with the newspapers Le Monde diplomatique and Ny Tid 25th November 2009, a seminar in Helsinki (with live circuits to Stockholm, Copenhagen and Reykjavik).
The topic "What are the costs of poverty - Perspectives from the Nordic Countries" was discussed by scientists from all over Scandinavia.
Asbjørn election, a member of Koordinationskomittee Forum Social Europe and union consultants, answered in the political context of the Norwegian welfare state as a social and democratic achievement. Professor Markus Jäntti intervened from the Institute for Social Research at the University of Stockholm out the field of child poverty in Finland. Professor Stefan Olafsson of social science research institute at the University of Iceland could tell before suddenly very attentive audience about the case of the Viking capitalism and its consequences for Iceland. Professor Peder Pederson from Institute of Economics at the University of Aarhus , member of the Danish National Centre for Welfare Research , finally provided a general confront empirical survey of Danish poverty to the popular belief of the eradication of poverty.

loudest and Asbjørn was refreshing choice. trained as a speaker at the May Day celebrations and the European Social form as well as the World Social Forum he was resigned to the liberal counter-regulatory litanies. The year 1979 is the acid test: In the same year as the Nordic Council announced the eradication of poverty, marked with the oil crisis is to reverse the global financial system and the rise of a new economic liberalism as the guiding ideology. Even in the isolated left Social Democratic Norway increases poverty hand in hand with new higher investment income. Asbjørn election sees a reciprocal relationship of spread of work and accumulation of wealth. Maxim of his analysis

"The problem of poverty is to be studied first at its sources and secondly in its manifestations is. - Richard Tawny, 1931

For Asbjørn choice is the existence of welfare and poverty is a result of the balance of power between capital and labor. Welfare state is progress in the living and working conditions. With shifts in power relations, the welfare issue, the question of the distribution of wealth is made new. This is called choice of social power, the base of the control and ownership is of capital and resources. Thus, the welfare state income social struggle, the base of the mobilization of the public. The social peace is not the cause of the welfare state but rather a (unilateral) "ceasefire". The essence of the welfare state is to take out large areas of the economy from the market and to submit to democratic control. Asbjørn election issue here in the opposition to market-based thinking to himself and was raised in the tradition of reformist thinking of a presumed dead social democracy.
looks from the 1930s until the 80 election partent an era of capital regulation. Capital controls, credit controls, state monopolies, investment, fixed exchange rates, Labor legislation and a huge public sector have been developed. All this is understood as a power resource that is now in the hands of society. This power, such auchals understood literally, is a prerequisite for Asbjørn choice of the welfare state. However much choice defenders of the welfare state, but for him, the two different characteristics. For one, the welfare state social insurance, social services, real redistribution, even seeds of a vision of a different form of society. Second, however, submitted the welfare state a repair shop of a "brutal and inhumane economic system", which unemployment, disenfranchisement and health issues brings. Sarcastic Arthur Balfour is cited:

"Social policy is the most effective antidote to socialism."

State welfare, then, in Germany you know the lessons from history as a tool for Deradikalisierung the labor movement.
Back to 1979, which is Asbjørn choice of turning point where the collapse in the crisis of the social pact. In the neo-liberal offensive regulations are removed, the public sector is shrinking and poverty on the return. This redistribution is a shift in the balance of forces. From public to private, from labor to capital, from the poor to the rich. In step with rising inequality and versträktem pressure Increase the welfare state, the richest 10% of the Norwegian population their share of national wealth to more than 30%. Nowadays diagnosed election a regressive society. Wirtschaftsaufschwünge have no impact on poverty and a social reproduction of poverty takes its course. While poverty reduction denied by the government, growing support for right-wing populism.
The system of "workfare ", adopted in Germany as "promoting and demanding" in the form of so-called " 1 euro-jobs " Asbjørn sees election as a barrier to prosperity. "Workfare" reinforces the concept of homo economicus and looks instead of structural Reasons of unemployment, lack of work ethic and work incentives as a problem to be fought. This initiated by Thatcher form of social policy is now established both in European social democrats as well as conservatives and from the academic side only of a few, among them John Veit-Wilson contradicted. However, "workfare" just a symptom of a larger paradigm change: risks are individualized, more and more areas are exposed to the market, universal social rights to be converted into income-tested benefits, private management methods are used extensively and the government (and democratic society ) were deprived of power. As an alternative to state welfare provision is advocated private charity.
This policy development is accompanied by the decline of European social democracy. Conservative-liberal governments and opinion leaders in the long term gain ground, despite the proclaimed "new center" of Blair / Schröder 12 years ago. Asbjørn choice here means a basic ideological crisis reflected in the left to see. Choi's approach is not a campaign storm of social movements and non-government organizations. He asked to identify sources of power, concentration of working towards the market and restrictions on a broad social mobilization. Power gains of trade unions and Left to be felt through the immediate increase in social benefits.

The surprising thing about Asbjørn Wahl's presentation was, however, the reactions to it. Decorum it was sulking in the left corner to send his klassenbwusster position, I can not express otherwise, than taken for granted and discussed from this perspective. Professor Pedersen did try again later, the seminar in empirical social liberal waters to conduct, it seems that the sakndinavische public, as far as one can speak to scientists, journalists, intellectuals and students from public, far from a liberal discourse hegemony. Maybe not a lion, but a glimmer of hope from midnight.