Child poverty and child rights meet active citizenship : A New Zealand and Sweden case study

Child rights and active citizenship have been significant policy emphases and developments in recen years but the relationship between the two has not been actively explored in relation to the implications for child poverty. Recent policy developments in New Zealand and Sweden are drawn on here to explore this relationship. The article argues than an emphasis on active citizenship does not lead to improvement of rights for all children. Too many children are left in poverty because active citizenship is focused on the lives of adults, not the needs and rights of children. Advancing children's rights requires attention to the position of all children, not just those who live in households where the adults meet active citizenship requirements

New Geographically Differentiated Configurations of Social Risks: Labour Market Policy Developments in Sweden and Finland

In comparative social policy studies, Nordic welfare systems are grouped together as belonging to the same welfare model (e.g. Esping-Andersen & Korpi, 1987; Esping-Andersen, 1990; Kangas & Palme, 2005). Nordic welfare systems are known for providing allencompassing coverage of their social security systems. This coverage has traditionally included a combination of basic security and earning-related measures. In addition, the Nordic welfare systems have been characterized by the generosity of the benefits provided, by the high level of effectiveness of their income redistribution policies and by the large development of their social service infrastructures. Apart from a few exceptions (e.g. Saraceno, 2002; Lähteenmäki-Smith, 2005; Scarpa, 2009), comparative social policy studies have nevertheless also implicitly assumed that Nordic welfare systems display these ‘hallmarks’ in a geographically homogeneous manner and that, in these countries, regional variation of living conditions and also in the level of protection from social risks is minimal