Co-Operation in Welfare?

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study interrelationships between church-based welfare agents and the welfare state at the local level in Norway and Finland, and specifically the patterns of co-operation. The article addresses the significance of religion in welfare state theory and theoretical models of relations between the welfare state and the voluntary sector. Norway and Finland are characterized by the same category in Esping-Andersen's theory of welfare regimes and in Anheier's corresponding models of the voluntary sector in the welfare state. We found clear similarities in terms of relations between the public sector and church-based welfare agents at the local level in the Norwegian and Finnish cases. However, there were also striking differences. We argue that one of the reasons for the differences in the relations is religious differences between Norway and Finland, even though the Lutheran religious heritage is dominant in both countries. The findings in the article support those who claim that religion is a significant factor for the understanding of patterns of welfare state models in Europe.