Beyond voluntary organizations and the welfare state : Patterns of informal helping in the Scandinavian countries

• This chapter studies patterns of informal helping in Scandinavia. Previous research has assumed that due to the extensive welfare state, informal helping has been less important in the Scandinavian countries. However, the results presented in this chapter show that informal helping is widespread in these countries. Furthermore, earlier studies on this topic have taken either a ‘welfare state/care culture’ perspective or a ‘civil society’ perspective as a point of departure. We argue that both perspectives are relevant, but they point to different forms of informal help in terms of who are the recipients of help. Whereas help provided to relatives may be viewed as a ‘family duty’ and linked to a certain care culture, help provided to non-relatives is arguably more comparable to behaviour driven by altruism and therefore linked to civic engagement. The results suggest that the latter perspective is more predominant in Denmark than in Norway and Sweden. In Denmark, informal help provided to non-relatives is associated with volunteering and social trust. The findings call for further theorising on the relationship between informal help, the welfare state and civil society.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Socialt arbete (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Social Work (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Informal helping; Social trust; Volunteering; Relatives; Care culture; Welfare state

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