Welfare accounts
Balancing fiscal responsibility and social justice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19224144 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Johanna Peltoniemi (0000-0002-8299-8139, University of Helsinki), Heikki Hiilamo (0000-0003-4886-4935, University of Helsinki, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-11 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Social Security (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1388-2627 • E-ISSN: 2399-2948 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13882627261446303 |
| OpenAlex | W7160868552 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
Globalisation, ageing and structural changes challenge social security systems in high-income countries. We explore welfare accounts as a social policy innovation, addressing a gap in the literature by summarising how welfare accounts function across countries. We contribute to the theoretical discussion on social security reforms by asking: could welfare accounts help address the growing fiscal strain and the carrying-capacity challenges posed by ageing populations? The comparative literature and structured expert interviews suggest that welfare accounts offer a socially just solution, as they do not impact those receiving social assistance or last-resort benefits. The strength of welfare accounts lies in flexibility: while comprehensive adoption of welfare accounts is not necessarily sensible, selective implementation could potentially help to address the challenges of ageing welfare states
Social policy · Social security · Social Welfare · Welfare · Welfare state · Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement Analysis · Fiscal Policies and Political Economy · Social Policy and Reform Studies
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| Highly cited | No |
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