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Welfare State - The Scandinavian Model

Author

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  • Torben M. Andersen

    (Department of Economics and Business, Aarhus University, Denmark)

Abstract

The Scandinavian countries have achieved both a high level of living standard (measured by e.g. average income) and an egalitarian outcome (measured by e.g. income inequality) despite a very large public sector and thus a large tax burden (about 50 % of GDP). The Scandinavian cluster thus poses a challenge to the standard view on the tradeoff between efficiency and equity. How come that the Scandinavian countries have been able to achieve high equality without much sacrifice of efficiency in terms of income? This paper addresses this question with the outset in recent work stressing the insurance aspect of the welfare state. A broad interpretation of the Scandinavian welfare model in terms of social insurance or common pool aspects is given. The effects of social insurance are discussed and the potential incentive problems arising in a common pool arrangement are argued to be mitigated by a number of counteracting mechanisms. Issues in policy design and the political economy of the welfare state are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Torben M. Andersen, 2011. "Welfare State - The Scandinavian Model," Economics Working Papers 2011-01, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    • Handle: RePEc:aah:aarhec:2011-01
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    File URL: https://repec.econ.au.dk/repec/afn/wp/11/wp11_01.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gordon Winston & David Zimmerman, 2004. "Peer Effects in Higher Education," NBER Chapters, in: College Choices: The Economics of Where to Go, When to Go, and How to Pay For It, pages 395-424, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Assar Lindbeck & Sten Nyberg & Jörgen W. Weibull, 1999. "Social Norms and Economic Incentives in the Welfare State," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 1-35.
    3. Agell Jonas, 2002. "On the Determinants of Labour Market Institutions: Rent Seeking vs. Social Insurance," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 3(2), pages 107-135, May.
    4. Assar Lindbeck & Sten Nyberg & Jörgen W. Weibull, 2003. "Social Norms and Welfare State Dynamics," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(2-3), pages 533-542, 04/05.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rasmus Højbjerg Jacobsen & Svend E. Hougaard Jensen, 2014. "Changing Age and Household Patterns: Implications for Welfare Costs in Denmark 1982 – 2007," Nordic Journal of Political Economy, Nordic Journal of Political Economy, vol. 39, pages 1-4.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H1 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • P1 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies

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