Studia Humanitatis (Apr 2023)
The universal welfare model in Denmark: the origin, development and the future
Abstract
The Scandinavian welfare model is a political economic model which, among other things, Denmark other Nordic countries, like Sweden and Norway, developed after the end of World War II. The basic principles behind this model imply that all citizens in society have access to social benefits regardless of their social background or origin, and that the benefits are not linked to insurance contributions or other forms of user payment. The model is referred to as the universal welfare model, because everyone has the right to a number of benefits, e.g. state pension and child allowance. The citizens of the Scandinavian countries are thereby financially secured in connection with illness, unemployment and in old age, to which are added supplementary measures, e.g. support for housing costs and expenses for children. In addition, there are a number of highly developed services in the form of day-care centres, health care, home care, etc. In this article we will be analysing and comment the origin, the development and the contemporary universal Scandinavian model. Furthermore we will try to get an answer to the question: will this universal welfare model survive the next three decades, and at all exist in 2060?
