Åke Bergmark
Biographic Data
| ID | 3911481 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Åke Bergmark |
| GIVEN NAMES | Åke |
| FAMILY NAME | Bergmark |
| SIGNATURE | BERGMARK A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Stockholm University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7230-1510 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 131 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Benefit levels in Swedish social assistance: A vignette-based study of social work professionals’ assessments
Swedish social assistance aims to ensure a ‘reasonable level of living’ for the least well-off in society. The benefit is, however, administered with considerable discretion on both the municipal and individual level. While numerous studies have shown substantial variations with regard to eligibility assessments, knowledge that pertains to differences in benefit levels, that is, the extent to which such variations are present and, if so, which fa…
A safety net for all? - Vignette-based assessments of Swedish social assistance over three decades
Swedish welfare is often characterized as comprehensive and generous. Social assistance constitutes the final safety net in the Swedish model. Unlike most other benefits, eligibility and subsidy levels are here subject to extensive means-testing, with eligibility determined by individual caseworkers. In this article, we explore the extent to which eligibility determination and generosity of benefits have changed in social assistance assessments o…
Utilized discretion: A vignette study of social assistance assessments in Sweden
Swedish social assistance (SA) is administered with substantial discretion among both municipalities and social workers. Although such discretionary power has its merits, it also comes with potential disadvantages. Previous studies show considerable variation in assessments of SA eligibility, not only between municipalities but also between social workers within the same organisation. Further, the differences seem to have increased over time and …
Self-perceived competence and willingness to ask about intimate partner violence among Swedish social workers
In this article we explore the extent to which Swedish social workers encounter IPV, as well as their readiness to handle these cases. The study draws from data gathered in an online survey answered by 787 caseworkers within the personal social services, exploring the rate of asking clients about intimate partner violence, access to IPV training, level of self-rated competence, and amount and frequency of IPV-cases in the caseload. Our findings d…
Actors and Governance Arrangements in the Field of Social Assistance
This chapter provides a more detailed account of the wide array of actors involved in governing social assistance. Social assistance policies in Europe display a number of features that witness an area characterised by fragmentation and authority shared by different political-administrative tiers. The chapter presents a structured inventory of who is involved at what level and in that respect try to capture the relevant political-administrative s…
Socialbidragstagandets dynamik – varaktighet och utträden från socialbidragstagande under 2000-talet
Från och med 2002 innehåller den nationella socialbidragsstatistiken uppgifter om utbetalt socialbidrag för varje enskild månad under året, vilket öppnar för nya och mer detaljerade analyser av socialbidragstagandets varaktighetsmönster. I artikeln utnyttjas denna nya statistik till att redogöra för socialbidragstagandets mönster under 2000-talets första år på ett tydligare sätt än vad som tidigare har kunnat göras. Analyserna av de nya data visa…
Decentraliserad välfärd eller medborgerliga rättigheter? Om omfördelning av makt och ansvar mellan stat och kommun
I Sverige, liksom i övriga Europa, har det över de senaste decennierna skett en överföring av makt och ansvar från nationalstat till lokalsamhälle. Detta reser frågor om demokrati, nationellt garanterade medborgerliga rättigheter och betydelsen av kommunala variationer i välfärdstjänsternas tillgänglighet och kvalitet. I artikeln analyseras utvecklingen i Sverige under de senaste decennierna mot bakgrund av förändringar i lagstiftning och former …
Organizing local social service measures to counteract long-term social assistance receipt. What works? Experiences from Sweden
Active labour market policies and programs (ALMPs) have over the last decades been established as main instruments to promote the transition from welfare to work. In this article we study strategies employed by Swedish municipalities to help recipients ending spells of social assistance take-up. By using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data we try to identify which approaches stand out as more successful than others with respect to …
The mismatch between the map and the terrain—evidence-based social work in Sweden
In this article we will give an account of the introduction of evidence-based practice (EBP) in Swedish social work. The Swedish development may serve as an example of what happens when the process is driven by bureaucracy with a strong public funding/back-up rather than by the academy. This is not to say that the Swedish case is unique, but rather that problems and controversies that are well established on the international arena are in Sweden …
Priorities and determinants of priorities of Swedish social workers
Priority setting is an integrated part of social work, in Sweden as well as internationally. In this article we explore Swedish social services and how social workers make priorities and what these priorities involve. By use of regression analysis we also study what circumstances are of importance for allocative precedence and what impact different distributive principles have. One primary result is that priorities are made frequently by social w…
Escaping welfare? Social assistance dynamics in Sweden
The article analyses temporal patterns in social assistance receipt in Sweden in the 2000s by looking at which circumstances facilitate versus reduce the possibilities of a person ceasing to be a recipient of social assistance. The analysis is guided by the following questions: What conditions lead people to terminate periods of social assistance receipt? Which factors are central to exits with different subsequent income patterns? How do these e…
Market Reforms in Swedish Health Care: Normative Reorientation and Welfare State Sustainability
Although the impact of market reforms in Swedish health care stands out as not very far-reaching in an international comparison, it represents a route away from the features and basic values normally associated with the Swedish or Scandinavian model. Summarizing the development over the last decades, we may identify signs of sustainability as well as change. Popular support for public provision and a robust institutional structure make far-reachi…
Unitarian ideals and professional diversity in social work practice—the case of Sweden: Socialt arbete: mellan homogena ideal och professionell splittring—exemplet Sverige
Attempts to articulate a common core of social work are numerous as is the claim that there exists a ‘true’ or general social work. This article presents results from research on the organisational settings of Swedish social work. Social work managers in 100 middle sized municipalities have been interviewed by means of an extensive interview manual. Data are analysed using quantitative methods. The results demonstrate that since the 1980s special…
Stuck with Welfare? Long-term Social Assistance Recipiency in Sweden
Journal Article Stuck with Welfare? Long-term Social Assistance Recipiency in Sweden Get access Åke Bergmark, Åke Bergmark Department of Social Work, Mid Sweden University,Sweden. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Olof Bäckman Olof Bäckman Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University. Present address: Institute for Future Studies, Box 591, SE-101 31 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: +46 8 402 12 00; E-…
Welfare and the unemployment crisis: Sweden in the 1990s
In the 1990s Sweden went through a deep economic recession accompanied by a massive increase in unemployment and a rapidly growing budget deficit. The crisis had large repercussions for the welfare of many citizens and it generated cutbacks in virtually all social policy programmes. This halted a welfare‐state expansion that had been going on for decades. It also caused great concern about the state of welfare of the nation. In 1999 the Swedish G…
Prêts à travailler ? Les politiques d'activation en Suède au cours des années quatre-vingt-dix
La grave récession économique qui a touché la Suède au cours des années quatre-vingt-dix a généré un accroissement massif du chômage et motivé des « coupes sombres » dans de nombreux programmes sociaux. De fait, la crise qui a touché le marché de l'emploi a été plus sévère en Suède que dans la plupart des autres pays européens. Une situation en partie inédite dans un pays qui, depuis les années trente, a fait continûment l'expérience du plein emp…
Activated to Work? Activation Policies in Sweden in the 1990s
The deep economic recession that hit Sweden in the 1990s led to a massive increase in unemployment and generated cutbacks in most social policy programmes. The downturn in the labour market was more severe in Sweden than in most other European countries and was unmatched since the 1930s. The situation was in many respects unfamiliar to a nation that had experienced full employment for more than half a century and the preconditions for national la…
Welfare trends in Sweden: Balancing the books for the 1990s
Welfare trends in Sweden: balancing the books for the 1990s : Journal of European Social Policy
Solidarity in Swedish Welfare – Standing the Test of Time?
Priorities in care and services for elderly people: A path without guidelines?
The growing gap between demands and resources is putting immense pressure on all government spending in Sweden. The gap is especially apparent in care and services for elderly people in light of the rapid aging of the population. The article considers the decisions and priorities concerning resource allocation in the welfare sector in general and in elderly care in particular. The aim is to describe the political and administrative setting and to…
Beyond benevolence – solidarity and welfare state transition in Sweden
For many decades the Swedish welfare system has served as an archetype of the modern comprehensive welfare state. When economic recession hit Sweden in the beginning of the 1990s, a period of half a century of continuous expansion and reforms in the welfare sector came to an end. The economic downturn enforced rationing measures in most welfare programs and was accompanied by a move towards privatisation of local welfare services and an endeavour…
From reforms to rationing? Current allocative trends in social services in Sweden
In Sweden, the current national deficit is putting immense pressure on all government spending. Economic recession and increased levels of unemployment have jointly altered the image of the welfare state and redirected focus on it as a financial burden. A matter of considerable political and public concern is the consequences of the economic constraints on social services ‐ the part of the welfare programs carried out by local authorities. This a…
Escaping welfare? Social assistance dynamics in Sweden
The article analyses temporal patterns in social assistance receipt in Sweden in the 2000s by looking at which circumstances facilitate versus reduce the possibilities of a person ceasing to be a recipient of social assistance. The analysis is guided by the following questions: What conditions lead people to terminate periods of social assistance receipt? Which factors are central to exits with different subsequent income patterns? How do these e…
Welfare and the unemployment crisis: Sweden in the 1990s
In the 1990s Sweden went through a deep economic recession accompanied by a massive increase in unemployment and a rapidly growing budget deficit. The crisis had large repercussions for the welfare of many citizens and it generated cutbacks in virtually all social policy programmes. This halted a welfare‐state expansion that had been going on for decades. It also caused great concern about the state of welfare of the nation. In 1999 the Swedish G…
Unitarian ideals and professional diversity in social work practice—the case of Sweden: Socialt arbete: mellan homogena ideal och professionell splittring—exemplet Sverige
Attempts to articulate a common core of social work are numerous as is the claim that there exists a ‘true’ or general social work. This article presents results from research on the organisational settings of Swedish social work. Social work managers in 100 middle sized municipalities have been interviewed by means of an extensive interview manual. Data are analysed using quantitative methods. The results demonstrate that since the 1980s special…
Welfare trends in Sweden: Balancing the books for the 1990s
Welfare trends in Sweden: balancing the books for the 1990s : Journal of European Social Policy
Stuck with Welfare? Long-term Social Assistance Recipiency in Sweden
Journal Article Stuck with Welfare? Long-term Social Assistance Recipiency in Sweden Get access Åke Bergmark, Åke Bergmark Department of Social Work, Mid Sweden University,Sweden. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Olof Bäckman Olof Bäckman Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University. Present address: Institute for Future Studies, Box 591, SE-101 31 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: +46 8 402 12 00; E-…
Beyond benevolence – solidarity and welfare state transition in Sweden
For many decades the Swedish welfare system has served as an archetype of the modern comprehensive welfare state. When economic recession hit Sweden in the beginning of the 1990s, a period of half a century of continuous expansion and reforms in the welfare sector came to an end. The economic downturn enforced rationing measures in most welfare programs and was accompanied by a move towards privatisation of local welfare services and an endeavour…
The mismatch between the map and the terrain—evidence-based social work in Sweden
In this article we will give an account of the introduction of evidence-based practice (EBP) in Swedish social work. The Swedish development may serve as an example of what happens when the process is driven by bureaucracy with a strong public funding/back-up rather than by the academy. This is not to say that the Swedish case is unique, but rather that problems and controversies that are well established on the international arena are in Sweden …
Organizing local social service measures to counteract long-term social assistance receipt. What works? Experiences from Sweden
Active labour market policies and programs (ALMPs) have over the last decades been established as main instruments to promote the transition from welfare to work. In this article we study strategies employed by Swedish municipalities to help recipients ending spells of social assistance take-up. By using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data we try to identify which approaches stand out as more successful than others with respect to …
Priorities and determinants of priorities of Swedish social workers
Priority setting is an integrated part of social work, in Sweden as well as internationally. In this article we explore Swedish social services and how social workers make priorities and what these priorities involve. By use of regression analysis we also study what circumstances are of importance for allocative precedence and what impact different distributive principles have. One primary result is that priorities are made frequently by social w…
Utilized discretion: A vignette study of social assistance assessments in Sweden
Swedish social assistance (SA) is administered with substantial discretion among both municipalities and social workers. Although such discretionary power has its merits, it also comes with potential disadvantages. Previous studies show considerable variation in assessments of SA eligibility, not only between municipalities but also between social workers within the same organisation. Further, the differences seem to have increased over time and …
Self-perceived competence and willingness to ask about intimate partner violence among Swedish social workers
In this article we explore the extent to which Swedish social workers encounter IPV, as well as their readiness to handle these cases. The study draws from data gathered in an online survey answered by 787 caseworkers within the personal social services, exploring the rate of asking clients about intimate partner violence, access to IPV training, level of self-rated competence, and amount and frequency of IPV-cases in the caseload. Our findings d…
Prêts à travailler ? Les politiques d'activation en Suède au cours des années quatre-vingt-dix
La grave récession économique qui a touché la Suède au cours des années quatre-vingt-dix a généré un accroissement massif du chômage et motivé des « coupes sombres » dans de nombreux programmes sociaux. De fait, la crise qui a touché le marché de l'emploi a été plus sévère en Suède que dans la plupart des autres pays européens. Une situation en partie inédite dans un pays qui, depuis les années trente, a fait continûment l'expérience du plein emp…
Activated to Work? Activation Policies in Sweden in the 1990s
The deep economic recession that hit Sweden in the 1990s led to a massive increase in unemployment and generated cutbacks in most social policy programmes. The downturn in the labour market was more severe in Sweden than in most other European countries and was unmatched since the 1930s. The situation was in many respects unfamiliar to a nation that had experienced full employment for more than half a century and the preconditions for national la…
From reforms to rationing? Current allocative trends in social services in Sweden
In Sweden, the current national deficit is putting immense pressure on all government spending. Economic recession and increased levels of unemployment have jointly altered the image of the welfare state and redirected focus on it as a financial burden. A matter of considerable political and public concern is the consequences of the economic constraints on social services ‐ the part of the welfare programs carried out by local authorities. This a…
Solidarity in Swedish Welfare – Standing the Test of Time?
Priorities in care and services for elderly people: A path without guidelines?
The growing gap between demands and resources is putting immense pressure on all government spending in Sweden. The gap is especially apparent in care and services for elderly people in light of the rapid aging of the population. The article considers the decisions and priorities concerning resource allocation in the welfare sector in general and in elderly care in particular. The aim is to describe the political and administrative setting and to…
Beyond benevolence – solidarity and welfare state transition in Sweden
For many decades the Swedish welfare system has served as an archetype of the modern comprehensive welfare state. When economic recession hit Sweden in the beginning of the 1990s, a period of half a century of continuous expansion and reforms in the welfare sector came to an end. The economic downturn enforced rationing measures in most welfare programs and was accompanied by a move towards privatisation of local welfare services and an endeavour…
Welfare trends in Sweden: Balancing the books for the 1990s
Welfare trends in Sweden: balancing the books for the 1990s : Journal of European Social Policy
Welfare and the unemployment crisis: Sweden in the 1990s
In the 1990s Sweden went through a deep economic recession accompanied by a massive increase in unemployment and a rapidly growing budget deficit. The crisis had large repercussions for the welfare of many citizens and it generated cutbacks in virtually all social policy programmes. This halted a welfare‐state expansion that had been going on for decades. It also caused great concern about the state of welfare of the nation. In 1999 the Swedish G…
Prêts à travailler ? Les politiques d'activation en Suède au cours des années quatre-vingt-dix
La grave récession économique qui a touché la Suède au cours des années quatre-vingt-dix a généré un accroissement massif du chômage et motivé des « coupes sombres » dans de nombreux programmes sociaux. De fait, la crise qui a touché le marché de l'emploi a été plus sévère en Suède que dans la plupart des autres pays européens. Une situation en partie inédite dans un pays qui, depuis les années trente, a fait continûment l'expérience du plein emp…
Activated to Work? Activation Policies in Sweden in the 1990s
The deep economic recession that hit Sweden in the 1990s led to a massive increase in unemployment and generated cutbacks in most social policy programmes. The downturn in the labour market was more severe in Sweden than in most other European countries and was unmatched since the 1930s. The situation was in many respects unfamiliar to a nation that had experienced full employment for more than half a century and the preconditions for national la…
Stuck with Welfare? Long-term Social Assistance Recipiency in Sweden
Journal Article Stuck with Welfare? Long-term Social Assistance Recipiency in Sweden Get access Åke Bergmark, Åke Bergmark Department of Social Work, Mid Sweden University,Sweden. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Olof Bäckman Olof Bäckman Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University. Present address: Institute for Future Studies, Box 591, SE-101 31 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: +46 8 402 12 00; E-…
Unitarian ideals and professional diversity in social work practice—the case of Sweden: Socialt arbete: mellan homogena ideal och professionell splittring—exemplet Sverige
Attempts to articulate a common core of social work are numerous as is the claim that there exists a ‘true’ or general social work. This article presents results from research on the organisational settings of Swedish social work. Social work managers in 100 middle sized municipalities have been interviewed by means of an extensive interview manual. Data are analysed using quantitative methods. The results demonstrate that since the 1980s special…
Market Reforms in Swedish Health Care: Normative Reorientation and Welfare State Sustainability
Although the impact of market reforms in Swedish health care stands out as not very far-reaching in an international comparison, it represents a route away from the features and basic values normally associated with the Swedish or Scandinavian model. Summarizing the development over the last decades, we may identify signs of sustainability as well as change. Popular support for public provision and a robust institutional structure make far-reachi…
Priorities and determinants of priorities of Swedish social workers
Priority setting is an integrated part of social work, in Sweden as well as internationally. In this article we explore Swedish social services and how social workers make priorities and what these priorities involve. By use of regression analysis we also study what circumstances are of importance for allocative precedence and what impact different distributive principles have. One primary result is that priorities are made frequently by social w…
Escaping welfare? Social assistance dynamics in Sweden
The article analyses temporal patterns in social assistance receipt in Sweden in the 2000s by looking at which circumstances facilitate versus reduce the possibilities of a person ceasing to be a recipient of social assistance. The analysis is guided by the following questions: What conditions lead people to terminate periods of social assistance receipt? Which factors are central to exits with different subsequent income patterns? How do these e…
The mismatch between the map and the terrain—evidence-based social work in Sweden
In this article we will give an account of the introduction of evidence-based practice (EBP) in Swedish social work. The Swedish development may serve as an example of what happens when the process is driven by bureaucracy with a strong public funding/back-up rather than by the academy. This is not to say that the Swedish case is unique, but rather that problems and controversies that are well established on the international arena are in Sweden …
Socialbidragstagandets dynamik – varaktighet och utträden från socialbidragstagande under 2000-talet
Från och med 2002 innehåller den nationella socialbidragsstatistiken uppgifter om utbetalt socialbidrag för varje enskild månad under året, vilket öppnar för nya och mer detaljerade analyser av socialbidragstagandets varaktighetsmönster. I artikeln utnyttjas denna nya statistik till att redogöra för socialbidragstagandets mönster under 2000-talets första år på ett tydligare sätt än vad som tidigare har kunnat göras. Analyserna av de nya data visa…
Decentraliserad välfärd eller medborgerliga rättigheter? Om omfördelning av makt och ansvar mellan stat och kommun
I Sverige, liksom i övriga Europa, har det över de senaste decennierna skett en överföring av makt och ansvar från nationalstat till lokalsamhälle. Detta reser frågor om demokrati, nationellt garanterade medborgerliga rättigheter och betydelsen av kommunala variationer i välfärdstjänsternas tillgänglighet och kvalitet. I artikeln analyseras utvecklingen i Sverige under de senaste decennierna mot bakgrund av förändringar i lagstiftning och former …
Organizing local social service measures to counteract long-term social assistance receipt. What works? Experiences from Sweden
Active labour market policies and programs (ALMPs) have over the last decades been established as main instruments to promote the transition from welfare to work. In this article we study strategies employed by Swedish municipalities to help recipients ending spells of social assistance take-up. By using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data we try to identify which approaches stand out as more successful than others with respect to …
Actors and Governance Arrangements in the Field of Social Assistance
This chapter provides a more detailed account of the wide array of actors involved in governing social assistance. Social assistance policies in Europe display a number of features that witness an area characterised by fragmentation and authority shared by different political-administrative tiers. The chapter presents a structured inventory of who is involved at what level and in that respect try to capture the relevant political-administrative s…
Self-perceived competence and willingness to ask about intimate partner violence among Swedish social workers
In this article we explore the extent to which Swedish social workers encounter IPV, as well as their readiness to handle these cases. The study draws from data gathered in an online survey answered by 787 caseworkers within the personal social services, exploring the rate of asking clients about intimate partner violence, access to IPV training, level of self-rated competence, and amount and frequency of IPV-cases in the caseload. Our findings d…
Utilized discretion: A vignette study of social assistance assessments in Sweden
Swedish social assistance (SA) is administered with substantial discretion among both municipalities and social workers. Although such discretionary power has its merits, it also comes with potential disadvantages. Previous studies show considerable variation in assessments of SA eligibility, not only between municipalities but also between social workers within the same organisation. Further, the differences seem to have increased over time and …
A safety net for all? - Vignette-based assessments of Swedish social assistance over three decades
Swedish welfare is often characterized as comprehensive and generous. Social assistance constitutes the final safety net in the Swedish model. Unlike most other benefits, eligibility and subsidy levels are here subject to extensive means-testing, with eligibility determined by individual caseworkers. In this article, we explore the extent to which eligibility determination and generosity of benefits have changed in social assistance assessments o…
Benefit levels in Swedish social assistance: A vignette-based study of social work professionals’ assessments
Swedish social assistance aims to ensure a ‘reasonable level of living’ for the least well-off in society. The benefit is, however, administered with considerable discretion on both the municipal and individual level. While numerous studies have shown substantial variations with regard to eligibility assessments, knowledge that pertains to differences in benefit levels, that is, the extent to which such variations are present and, if so, which fa…
Political science (20 works) · Social Policy and Reform Studies (17 works) · Economics (14 works) · Welfare (13 works) · Economic growth (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Social Work (8 works) · Law (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Public economics (6 works)