Benefit levels in Swedish social assistance
A vignette-based study of social work professionals’ assessments
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12937666 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Åke Bergmark (0000-0002-7230-1510, Stockholm University), Hugo Stranz (Stockholm University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 305-323 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Poverty and Social Justice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1759-8273 • E-ISSN: 1759-8281 |
| Publisher | Policy Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1332/17598273y2024d000000037 |
| OpenAlex | W4406281008 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 46 |
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 factors co-vary with assessment outcomes, is quite scarce. This article presents analyses of generosity in eight so-called vignettes, collected among just over 1,000 social workers in 19 Swedish municipalities, including Sweden’s three major cities. Variations in generosity are analysed using multiple linear regression analysis (OLS), examining how basic social worker characteristics, professional factors and individual attitudes influence both overall generosity levels and generosity toward individual vignettes . The results show that, although variations in level of generosity are extensive, much of the difference remains unexplained. Among the significant outcomes that are identified, the fact that higher caseloads among social workers result in more generous decisions and that individual attitudes that favour more requirements and control lead to increased restrictiveness in assessments are worthy of note
Political science · Vignette · Work (physics · Applied Psychology · Engineering · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work
A Public Service Gap
Intersectional patterns of social assistance eligibility in Sweden
Europe's Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality
Social assistance in OECD countries
Rescaling Social Policies
Professional Discretion and Accountability in the Welfare State
The Field of Social Regulation
Disentangling practitioners’ perceptions of substance use severity
Social assistance assessments of couple households
Social expenditures and public administration
Automating social assistance
The will to sanction
Utilized discretion
The wide-meshed safety net. Decision-making on social assistance eligibility in Sweden
Gender and ethnicity in social assistance assessments of single applicants with substance abuse problems
Coping During Public Service Delivery
Conditionality, discretion and TH Marshall’s ‘right to welfare’
Institutional logics of service provision
The governance of poverty
Social background and life-course risks as determinants of social assistance receipt among young adults in Sweden, Norway and Finland
European Sociological Review
Street‐level Bureaucracy’ Revisited
Performance Management, Caseloads and the Frontline Provision of Social Services
Differences in the Seriousness of Problems and Deservingness of Help
Job Stress among Social Workers
Organisational Rules and Discretion in Adult Social Work
Street-Level Bureaucracy, Social Work and the (Exaggerated) Death of Discretion
Judgements of Social Care Professionals on Elder Abuse Referrals
A Policy Decoupled from Practice
Social Workers’ Experiences of Bureaucracy
Devolution, Discretion, and the Effect of Local Political Values on Tanf Sanctioning
When the State Meets the Street
Taking Rights Seriously
Social Equities and Inequities in Practice
Which Clients are Deserving of Help? A Theoretical Model and Experimental Test
Race, Bureaucratic Discretion, and the Implementation of Welfare Reform
Sociological Analysis of Professionalism
Comparative Sociology
Weighing up Work Willingness in Social Assistance
A safety net for all? - Vignette-based assessments of Swedish social assistance over three decades
When do municipalities smooth access for new social assistance claimants? Local determinants of municipal welfare agency's implementation practices in Belgium
Discrimination Against Ethnic Minorities in Activation Programme? Evidence from a Vignette Experiment
Discretionary Decision-Making in a Changing Context of Activation Policies and Welfare Reforms
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |