Mikko Niemelä

Perceptions of the Causes of Poverty in Finland

The issue of what people consider as reasons for living in poverty is often neglected in the literature on poverty. Studies of public perceptions are needed both on academic grounds and in terms of policy-making processes. In this article, I study three different meanings of poverty: the individualistic, the fatalistic and the structural. I explore whether different meanings can be attributed to specific socio-demographic characteristics, economic circumstances and attitudes towards the welfare state. The data derive from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Finland in 2005 and the results indicate that there is strong consensus in the Finnish population on the causes of poverty. Finns are more likely to blame the flaws and inadequacies of the labour market than the behaviour of individuals or societal injustice. In other words, structural explanations of poverty have the greatest support. However, fatalistic explanations are also supported, since a considerable proportion of people regard bad luck and lack of opportunities as reasons for poverty. Applied multivariate analysis indicates that perceptions of the causes of poverty are at least to some extent related to socio-demographic characteristics, economic circumstances and attitudes to the welfare state. However, the effects, as well as the group differences, are small.

From universalism to selectivism: the ideational turn of the anti-poverty policies in Finland:

In the universalistic Nordic welfare states, targeted anti-poverty policies have not been considered as specific aims of social policy. The situation has, however, altered in Finland and there is now a new element in Finnish social policy that can be called ‘anti-poverty policy’. This article explores when, how and why the policy paradigm relating to poverty changed in Finland. It includes an empirical analysis of the documents produced by key actors. Analyses show that the basic idea behind the policy prescriptions for alleviating poverty in Finland has changed from the idea of universalism to the idea of selectivism. The results emphasise that the Church, non-governmental organisations, the European Union’s Lisbon agenda as well as an active opposition politics had an important agenda-setting role behind the ideational turn from universalism to the idea of selectivism.

When and why do ideas matter? The influence of framing on opinion formation and policy change

A growing field of discursive institutionalism has argued for the importance of ideas and discourse in policy changes. The aim of the study is to analyse framing effects empirically by examining how, and to what extent, competing frames can shape public opinion on the implementation of a specific policy change. The case study focuses on the administration of social assistance in Finland. Results indicate that the framing of ideas shapes public opinion. Analyses show that some types of frames are more effective than others. To be successful, a politician must simplify the issue and appeal to moral sentiments rather than present too many difficult ‘factual’ viewpoints. Our study also emphasizes that even frames that succeed in shaping popular opinion may fail if powerful political actors oppose reform. Therefore, we argue that the interplay between the ‘old’ power resource approach and the ‘new’ ideational approach should be taken into account when explaining institutional changes.

Who Blames the Poor

ABSTRACT The article analyses the support for and determinants of individualistic explanations of poverty among Europeans. The analyses are conducted using multilevel logistic regression models. Findings suggest that the level of support for the individualistic explanation of poverty varies between European nations. Hence, the results contradict the analysis of Alesina and Glaeser (2004, Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe. A World of Difference), which gives us a very homogenous picture of European attitudes towards the poor. Among the determinants of poverty perceptions, welfare regime, short-term economic growth and social expenditures as well as individual-level demographic factors, perceived economic hardship, political affiliation and egalitarian values are associated with the individualistic attribution for poverty. In general, the findings hold critical implications for future research to develop further dynamic measurement of contextual level explanatory factors.

The Role of Ideas and Institutional Change in Finnish Public Sector Reform 1

This paper explores institutional change and the role of ideas in Finnish public sector reform. The analysis extends from the late 1970s to 2007. The main purpose of the study is to explore the ideas advanced in favour of legislative reforms – what have been the objectives behind them and to what extent have the objectives and arguments changed. The paper explores the ideas that have impacted policy changes and asks whether the role of ideas differs for different policies within the public sector and between different time periods. In addition, the paper asks whether the different roles of ideas are associated with different processes of change. The paper includes an empirical analysis of the parliamentary policy documents produced during the legislative reforms. The analysis illustrates that there have been ideational changes behind the public sector reforms and that they have served as policy blueprints, ideological weapons and cognitive locks. Hence, the paper shows that ideas are an important locus of policy development and a major source of institutional change in public policy.

Physicians’ experiences with sickness absence certification in Finland:

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore Finnish physicians’ perceptions of sickness absence (SA) certification. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 50% of the physicians in Finland who provide care to working-age patients in a clinical practice setting. Of the 8867 physicians, 3089 responded. Physicians handling SA certification patients at least a few times per month were included (n = 2472). Results: At least a few times per month, 61% of all physicians perceived SA issues as problematic, 60% had experienced a lack of time in dealing with SA matters, 36% had disagreed with a patient on SA certification, and 36% had met a patient who wanted a SA certificate for reasons other than a disease or injury. Physicians were least worried about patients filing complaints (4%), exhibiting threatening behaviour (2%), or switching physicians for SA certification reasons (1%). A total of 60% of physicians had prescribed SA for a longer period than necessary because of long waiting times for further care/measures. Non-specialized physicians, general practitioners, and psychiatrists experienced problems more frequently than surgeons and occupational health physicians. Over 50% of the respondents had a fairly large or very large need to deepen their knowledge of social insurance matters. The need for national guidelines for all or some diseases was reported by 80% of the respondents. Conclusions: Many physicians perceive SA tasks as problematic and are unable to dedicate enough time to them. Shortcomings in physicians’ sickness certification know-how, as well as obstacles in the healthcare and rehabilitation system, prolong the SA process. Attitudes towards the adoption of national guidelines on the duration of SA were positive.

Income Inequality, Poverty, and Fear of Crime in Europe

Studies of fear of crime in Europe associate country-level income inequality with fear of crime. However, by considering only income inequality these studies do not account for the effects of poverty. This article provides a more comprehensive perspective through multiple country-level indicators of income inequality and poverty and thereby provides important insights into fear of crime. The research data consist of the European Social Survey, Round 7 (2014), and country-level indicators provided by Eurostat. The results show that the Gini coefficient, S80/S20 ratio, and material deprivation are positively associated with fear of crime. The association is statistically significant but is moderate at best. However, the association between the relative median at-risk-of-poverty risk gap and fear of crime is not statistically significant. Education and income only appear to be mediators between material deprivation and fear of crime. Trust appears to be a mediator between the country-level indicators and fear of crime.

Sickness absence as a predictor of disability retirement in different occupational classes: a register-based study of a working-age cohort in Finland in 2007–2014

Objectives The objective of the study was to examine diagnosis-specific sickness absences of different lengths as predictors of disability retirement in different occupational classes. Design Register-based prospective cohort study up to 8 years of follow-up. Participants A 70% random sample of the non-retired Finnish population aged 25–62 at the end of 2006 was included (n=1 727 644) and linked to data on sickness absences in 2005 and data on disability retirement in 2007–2014. Main outcome measures Cox proportional hazards regression was utilised to analyse the association of sickness absence with the risk of all-cause disability retirement during an 8-year follow-up. Results The risk of disability retirement increased with increasing lengths of sickness absence in all occupational classes. A long sickness absence was a particularly strong predictor of disability retirement in upper non-manual employees as among those with over 180 sickness absence days the HR was 9.19 (95% CI 7.40 to 11.40), but in manual employees the HR was 3.51 (95% CI 3.23 to 3.81) in men. Among women, the corresponding HRs were 7.26 (95% CI 6.16 to 8.57) and 3.94 (95% CI 3.60 to 4.30), respectively. Adjusting for the diagnosis of sickness absence partly attenuated the association between the length of sickness absence and the risk of disability retirement in all employed groups. Conclusions A long sickness absence is a strong predictor of disability retirement in all occupational classes. Preventing the accumulation of sickness absence days and designing more efficient policies for different occupational classes may be crucial to reduce the number of transitions to early retirement due to disability.