Study on Alternative Ways of Organising Social Security

Abstract

The study assesses whether alternative ways of organising social security, such as basic income, social account and one basic security benefit in particular, are suitable for the Finnish social security system. The study first provides an overview of the discussion on ways to organise social security and of the previous experiments and impact assessments and then compares the basic principles for different ways of organising basic security with those of the current system.

Alternative ways of organising social security could be implemented using a number of different methods, and their impact varies depending on how they are implemented. Because of this, example models were created for organising social security, and the study assesses the impacts of these models. The impacts are also assessed in light of the problems highlighted by the social security reform, which include complexity, the reconciliation of gainful employment and social security, the role of last-resort financial assistance and the link to services.

All models provide solutions to some of these problems, but at the same time they may also exacerbate other problems. There is also considerable uncertainty involved in anticipating the impact of major changes, and research data on behavioural impacts in particular is scarce.

The key difference between different ways of organising social security is the principles governing them. Is social security paid in situations such as employment or illness, or is it also paid without needing to provide a specific reason for this? Does social security serve as individual support during one person’s lifetime or as collective support from one person to another? What role do services and participation in them play?

Full text (julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi)

Author

Vaihtoehtoisten järjestämistapojen selvitystyöryhmä

Additional Information

• Peer-Reviewed: no.
• Open Access: yes.
• Cite as: Vaihtoehtoisten järjestämistapojen selvitystyöryhmä. (2023). Selvitys sosiaaliturvan vaihtoehtoisista järjestämistavoista. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö. http://www.urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-00-5455-7