Older people's "voices" - On paper : Obstacles to influence in welfare states - A Case Study of Sweden

• The official rhetoric of welfare states unconditionally pays tribute to older people’s right to express dissatisfaction. In practice, users of ‘older service’ in welfare states may be deprived of their ‘exit’ option and face considerable constraints when it comes to raising their ‘voices’. For example, when older people in nursing homes would like to lodge a complaint, they may well be referred to the very staff members they depend upon in their everyday life. This article analyses a national case in which these contradictory tendencies are especially explicit: formal influence channels for older people in Sweden. Using data from structured interviews with 100 representatives of Swedish municipalities, and drawing on Hirschman’s (1970) theory on exit and voice, the article analyses obstacles for older service users’ influence in Sweden and develops explanations for these obstacles in terms of social contexts.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

influence

exit

voice

older people

welfare state

Sweden

Older people and ageing

Äldre och åldrande

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)