Welcome to an event: Privatizing welfare services – what can we learn from other Nordic countries? (20.5. at 17.00)
The privatization of welfare services has sparked much debate in the Nordic countries. Historically, privatizations have often been justified by a promise of increasing the freedom of choice, but at the same time the costs of the services have increased, and their quality has been criticized. Experts from three Nordic countries discuss the topic at the event in Musiikkitalo on 20 May.
The progressive think tanks Arena Idé, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nordic Countries and Kalevi Sorsa Foundation are organizing an event that will discuss the Nordic experiences with the privatization of welfare services. You may register through this link by 16 May. The event will also be streamed. Welcome!
The discussion is based on recent reports published in Norway, Sweden and Germany. In Sweden for instance, in addition to social and healthcare also pre-schools, basic education and employment services have been privatized. Swedish welfare companies are now entering the Finnish market, buying pre-schools and elder care centres across the country. What can we learn from these experiences?
Agenda
16:30–17:00 Coffee and mingle
17:00 Opening
17:05 Presentation of the report: Don’t try this at home: Exporting Sweden’s Neoliberal Welfare Experiment. Lisa Pelling, PhD in political science, head of Arena Idé.
17.25 Presentation of the Norwegian Governmental Committee report on scaling back commercial providers of public welfare services. Jan-Erik Støstad, head of the committee.
17.40 How privatisation affects employees – experiences from Swedish elder care. Mari Huupponen, care expert, trade union Kommunal.
17.50 Privatization and marketization of the Finnish early childhood education and care system. Ville Ruutiainen, university teacher (PhD), University of Jyväskylä.
18.00–18.45 Panel discussion and Q&A with audience. Krista Kiuru (MP, former minister of social services, SDP), Mari Huupponen, Lisa Pelling, Jan-Erik Støstad, Samuli Sinisalo (special advisor, Trade Union JHL)
The event will be moderated by policy advisor Josefin Fürst from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nordic Countries.