International conference to discuss the value base of the welfare state

Welfare states have survived many crisis periods, such as the oil crisis in the 1970s, the global financial crisis in the 2010s and, most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the same time, however, welfare states have been adapting to gradual changes, which include globalisation, increasing inequality, changes in the labour market and family structure and the climate crisis. An international conference will discuss the values of the welfare state in Tampere on 28-30 August.

Welfare states — which are anchored around the values of solidarity, equality, trust and legitimacy — have aimed to protect citizens from social risks, but times of crisis and transformation are challenging this value base. 

“The economic, social and political operating environment of welfare states has changed. This means that social policy must focus on new areas, such as sustainability and society’s ability to mitigate and adapt to major changes like digitalisation and climate change," says , Professor of Social Policy at the University of Helsinki.

The changes offer many opportunities for protecting the welfare state, but they always also include elements that cause disparities and vulnerabilities.

“The digital transition, for example, is not just about adopting new technologies to speed up governance, but involves big questions about fairness and responsible development, which must be taken into account in both policymaking and practice,” van Gerven continues.

The value base of the welfare state is the broad theme of the conference to be held at the end of August. In recent decades, efficiency and performance have become more important values in many countries.

“The pursuit of efficiency can happen in a way that exacerbates inequality. At the conference, we also wanted to highlight child poverty as one of the manifestations of inequality and a factor that perpetuates it,” says Mia Tammelin, Associate Professor of Social Policy at Tampere University.

The keynote speeches will be held by highly esteemed international scholars. On Wednesday 28 August, Professor Anne Kaun (University of Södertörn, Sweden) will discuss digital vulnerability.  Her research has dealt extensively with the digital welfare state, including automated decision-making.  On Thursday 29 August, Professor Zachary Parolin (Bocconi University, Italy) will discuss the significance of childhood poverty in the life course. Parolin leads a major research project on poverty funded by the European Research Council (ERC).

A panel discusses social policy reform

The panel on Friday 30 August will ask how social policy should be reformed during crises. The panellists are Christian Albrekt Larsen (Aalborg University, Denmark), Bernhard Ebbinghaus (University of Mannheim, Germany), Tuuli Hirvilammi (Tampere University, Finland) and Anna Kurowska (University of Warsaw, Poland). Maria Vaalavuo from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare facilitates the discussion.

The 22nd of its kind, the annual of the European Network for Social Policy Analysis (ESPAnet) will be organised in Tampere on 28–30 August. ESPAnet is the main international research network of social policy analysts. The conference is jointly organised by the University of Helsinki and Tampere University together with the , which is funded by the Strategic Research Council of Finland, and the ESPAnet research network. The conference will bring together some 330 social policy researchers and practitioners from different parts of the world. 

Enquiries:

Minna van Gerven
tel. +358 29412 2228, 

University of Helsinki

Mia Tammelin
tel. +358 50 4793680 

Tampere University

Conference website: