Local welfare governance structuring informal carers' dual position

Abstract

Purpose

Local welfare governance is approached from the vantage point of informal carers caring for older people. A bottom‐up perspective is used to construct a critical view on welfare provision and governance practices at the local level. The paper aims to discuss the issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The data consist of 23 in‐depth interviews with informal carers. Universal access to services and equal treatment of citizens is discussed.

Findings

The analysis illustrates how informal carers share care responsibilities with the municipality and gain access to services both as service providers and service users. Informal care comprises a complex mixture of public and private responsibilities that poses a challenge to universalism. There are new inequalities emerging among informal carers, while access to public resources is easier for resource‐rich carers positioned as service providers. Resource‐poor carers identify themselves often as service users in relation to municipality.

Originality/value

The use of original data provides important knowledge on informal carers' dual position in the local welfare governance and contributes to both theoretical and empirical understanding on shifts within Nordic welfare governance. Informal carers' dual position reflects the essence of mixed governance and represents future social policies.

Citation

Häikiö, L. and Anttonen, A. (2011), "Local welfare governance structuring informal carers' dual position", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 31 No. 3/4, pp. 185-196. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443331111120636