Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Derecho Público "Dr. Humberto J. La Roche"
de la Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas de la Universidad del Zulia
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Publicación cientíca en formato digital
ISSN-Versión Impresa 0798-1406 / ISSN-Versión on line 2542-3185
Depósito legal pp 197402ZU34
ppi 201502ZU4645
Vol.40 N° 74
2022
Recibido el 15-05-22 Aceptado el 06/07/2022
ISSN 0798- 1406 ~ De pó si to le gal pp 198502ZU132
Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas
La re vis ta Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas, es una pu bli ca ción aus pi cia da por el Ins ti tu to
de Es tu dios Po lí ti cos y De re cho Pú bli co “Dr. Hum ber to J. La Ro che” (IEPDP) de la Fa-
cul tad de Cien cias Ju rí di cas y Po lí ti cas de la Uni ver si dad del Zu lia.
En tre sus ob je ti vos fi gu ran: con tri buir con el pro gre so cien tí fi co de las Cien cias
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ción, dis cu sión y con fron ta ción de las ideas y avan ces cien tí fi cos con com pro mi so so cial.
Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas apa re ce dos ve ces al año y pu bli ca tra ba jos ori gi na les con
avan ces o re sul ta dos de in ves ti ga ción en las áreas de Cien cia Po lí ti ca y De re cho Pú bli-
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Re vis ta Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas. Av. Gua ji ra. Uni ver si dad del Zu lia. Nú cleo Hu ma nís ti co. Fa-
cul tad de Cien cias Ju rí di cas y Po lí ti cas. Ins ti tu to de Es tu dios Po lí ti cos y De re cho Pú bli co
“Dr. Hum ber to J. La Ro che”. Ma ra cai bo, Ve ne zue la. E- mail: cues tio nes po li ti cas@gmail.
com ~ loi chi ri nos por til lo@gmail.com. Te le fax: 58- 0261- 4127018.
Vol. 40, Nº 74 (2022), 132-147
IEPDP-Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas - LUZ
Features of legal regulation of social
protection in Sweden
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46398/cuestpol.4074.06
Nataliya Mudrolyubova *
Liudmyla Golovko **
Tetiana Shevchenko ***
Artur Zamryha ****
Maksym Kutsevych *****
Abstract
The purpose of the research was to determine Sweden’s
positive experience in the eld of social protection. To achieve
this goal, general and special scientic research methods were
used, in particular the system functional method, the method of
hermeneutics, dialectical and statistical methods. The authors
assume that the Scandinavian model of social protection (Sweden,
Norway, Finland) diers from other European countries by a
more developed social security system. In Scandinavian countries the state
model of social protection prevails. The concept of “social protection” in
these countries has been transformed into the concept of “social welfare”.
This model includes a compulsory social policy, a state-regulated income
level and the egalitarian and general nature of social benets and assistance.
It is concluded that the fundamental principle of the Swedish social model
is its universality: it covers all segments of the population. For this reason,
its study is particularly relevant. The article reveals the characteristics of
social protection against unemployment in Sweden. Special attention is
paid to the protection of children’s rights and aspects of family policy and
gender equality.
Keywords: social policy; social protection; protection of women’s rights;
Swedish model; fair trial.
* National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, Kyiv, Ukraine. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-
0002-8594-3053
** National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. ORCID iD: https://
orcid.org/0000-0002-3742-2827
*** Odessа Polytechnic State University, Odessа, Ukraine. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8149-
9103
**** Kyiv National EconomicUniversity named after Vadym Hetman, Kyiv, Ukraine. ORCID ID: https://
orcid.org/0000-0001-8919-6633
***** Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-
0003-3972-3612
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CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 74 (2022): 132-147
Características de la regulación legal de la protección
social en Suecia
Resumen
El propósito de la investigación fue determinar la experiencia positiva
de Suecia en el campo de la protección social. Para lograr este objetivo,
se utilizaron métodos de investigación cientíca generales y especiales, en
particular el método funcional del sistema, el método de la hermenéutica,
los métodos dialécticos y estadísticos. Los autores suponen que el
modelo escandinavo de protección social (Suecia, Noruega, Finlandia) se
diferencia de otros países europeos por un sistema de seguridad social
más desarrollado. En los países escandinavos prevalece el modelo estatal
de protección social. El concepto de «protección social» en estos países
se ha transformado en el concepto de «bienestar social». Este modelo
incluye una política social obligatoria, un nivel de ingresos regulado por el
Estado y el carácter igualitario y general de las prestaciones y asistencias
sociales. Se concluye que el principio fundamental del modelo social sueco
es su universalidad: cubre todos los segmentos de la población. Por ello,
su estudio es especialmente relevante. El artículo revela las características
de la protección social contra el desempleo en Suecia. Se presta especial
atención a la protección de los derechos del niño y los aspectos de la política
familiar y la igualdad de género.
Palabras clave: política social; protección social; protección de los
derechos de la mujer; modelo sueco; juicio justo.
Introduction
The XXI century was marked by high rates of development of
society, which led to the need for appropriate changes in the basic form
of its organization - the state. The issue of creating an appropriate legal
framework that would regulate all areas of public administration and at the
same time uphold human rights, is one of the most pressing tasks of modern
legal science. The last decades have been a turning point for Ukraine and
have been marked by signicant shifts in public opinion. The Revolution
of Dignity showed the need for progressive changes and improvements
in legislation to build Ukraine as a developed European welfare state in
accordance with modern societal requirements and the pace of science.
The urgency of this issue is conrmed by policy documents: the
Constitution of Ukraine, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, etc. According to
the chosen course, the legislation of Ukraine is being reformed in many
134 Nataliya Mudrolyubova, Liudmyla Golovko, Tetiana Shevchenko, Artur Zamryha y Maksym Kutsevych
Features of legal regulation of social protection in Sweden
spheres of public life, including social, in order to improve the functioning
and mechanisms for exercising the rights enshrined in the Constitution of
Ukraine.
For a long time, the Kingdom of Sweden has been one of the world’s
leaders in social protection and has proven its ability to function in the
context of the least social crisis, tackle emigration and successfully build
the social sphere and remain one of the world’s most stable countries.
Insucient coverage in domestic and foreign literature on the theory
and history of state and law, history of political and legal scholars of the
theoretical and legal aspect of the welfare state, including the welfare state of
the Kingdom of Sweden, insucient consideration and incomplete analysis
of its formation and implementation mechanisms, lack of comprehensive
systematization of welfare state and a separate analysis of its components,
the lack of classication of models of the welfare state from the standpoint
of law, as well as the urgency of solving the goals of social development set
before Ukraine and other foreign states determined the choice of the theme
of this article.
1. Objectives
The purpose of this scientic article is to determine and justify main
features of the Swedish model of social protection of the population from
unemployment and features of Swedish family and youth policy.
2. Materials and methods
During the writing of the article, both general and special scientic
research methods were used. Using the system-functional method, the
analysis of the main forms of social protection used in Sweden was carried
out. The dialectical method was used to clarify the current legal status of state
support for the unemployed and the prospects for its further development.
The method of hermeneutics was used to analyze the current legislation of
the Scandinavian countries on the example of Sweden, aimed at supporting
families and youth in order to study its eectiveness and eciency at the
present stage, as well as to identify regulatory gaps in domestic legislation
to address them (in particular, Law on Social Security, Law on Social
Services). The statistical method was used to obtain an empirical basis,
which has become one of the main sources of information on the success of
legal regulation of social protection in Sweden.
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CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
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3. Results and discussion
The development of the modern welfare state began a little over a
hundred years ago, when many European countries established insurance
systems against the risk of loss of income. Social changes related to the
emergence of the right to state social benets should be considered in
relation to other basic structural changes in European countries.
Particularly important aspects of the process of social transformation in the
nineteenth century were: exacerbation of social needs through accelerating
population growth, rapid urban growth and capitalist industrialization,
politicization of social problems as a result of democratization of surage
and mobilization of workers within trade unions and political parties;
development of state capabilities in the process of rationalization of public
administration bodies through a new organization of public nances and
the creation of ocial statistics; the state has a large number of resources
to accelerate economic growth. The welfare state provides for the right of all
people to a basic level of well-being (Volkov, 1991).
Welfare states were formed in Western Europe in 1950 - 1960. In the
media, they were called “welfare state” (Borevi, 2014). The welfare state in
its western version is the result of a long historical process and trade union
movement. Gradually, a new role of the state was dened: it must create
and maintain a legal space that ensures the principle of social justice and
protection.
The welfare state, which task is to create living conditions worthy of
a person, not only does not object, but also contributes to the support
and development of voluntary associations, mutual aid groups. It tries to
inuence these groups in such a way as to provide more eective assistance
to those who need it. The existence of voluntary charitable organizations,
mutual aid groups make it possible to reduce government spending on
social needs.
The welfare state is an essential characteristic of the Northern European
development model. The Nordic countries have done a lot to develop
the theory and practice of the welfare state. They continue to maintain a
relatively egalitarian society, all of which members have a relatively constant
standard of living, as well as, most importantly, equality of opportunity and
life chances.
State institutions, the state budget, the public sector of the economy,
the organized trade union movement, and civil society are the institutions
that ensure the functioning of the welfare state and maintain its viability.
The welfare state is characterized by stability because it is based on strong
social democratic traditions and highly organized professional movements.
136 Nataliya Mudrolyubova, Liudmyla Golovko, Tetiana Shevchenko, Artur Zamryha y Maksym Kutsevych
Features of legal regulation of social protection in Sweden
The Kingdom of Sweden is distinguished among other countries by
high economic and social achievements (Palme, 2015). In terms of social
services, it ranks one of the rst places in the world, and in terms of living
standards it is ahead of almost all other countries. With the establishment of
Sweden as one of the most developed countries, the term “Swedish model”
appeared. Swedish achievements can be explained both by the peculiarities
of the historical development of this country, specic features of the national
character, and general laws of economic and political development.
In a broad sense, the Swedish model is the whole complex of socio-
economic and political realities of the country: a high standard of living, the
scale of social policy. It should also be noted that the concept of “Swedish
model” does not have an unambiguous interpretation. The Swedish model
of the “welfare state” is based not on the elimination of private property and
a radical change in the mode of production, but on the implementation of
the state function of redistribution of national income in accordance with
the priorities of social needs to achieve greater social equality and greater
social justice (Gorokhova, 1989).
The formation of the welfare states themselves (and not individual
ideas and provisions) is associated with the high economic development
of countries, which made it possible to provide the population with a
living wage. It was during this period that the government’s responsibility
for the welfare and observance of the social rights of citizens began to be
considered the main condition of social policy. This responsibility cannot
be transferred to an individual, a private enterprise or a community, a
neighborhood.
Such a state protects people from poverty through unemployment
benets, family benets, cash benets, old-age pensions, providing full
health care, free education, and public housing. Social support in this case
is carried out as a state intervention in the lives of people at the national and
local levels through programs of social security, education, health care. This
system is nanced through the redistribution of income through insurance
and tax policy (Kozlov, 1998).
The anti-crisis path of Sweden is a welfare state, which is based on
the dominance of the state in the implementation and distribution of
social policy. The progress and development of the state is impossible
without the main social capital – people to whom the state must ensure
a normal and dignied existence. The welfare state assumes: support for
socially unprotected segments of the population (unemployed, pensioners,
disabled people); ght against unemployment; labor protection and human
health; support for family, motherhood, childhood; nancial support for
educational and cultural programs.
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The Swedish model is characterized by an active state employment
policy, which aims to increase the competitiveness of the workforce,
primarily through vocational training, job creation, both in the public
sector and by subsidizing private companies, combining job seekers and
vacancies, including through information and career guidance. Sweden
spends more money on these goals than any other country.
The main direction of active employment policy in Sweden is assistance
in obtaining vocational training and advanced training, which is carried
out either through the preparation and adoption of special programs at the
legislative level, or through joint participation of the state and enterprises
in training and retraining.
Sweden’s social policy has ourished for several decades, when the
country ranked rst in the world in terms of the share of social spending in
GDP. The main principle of the Swedish social model is its universality – it
covers all segments of the population. All citizens, regardless of their social
status, participate in its nancing, making a contribution commensurate
with their income (the principle of solidarity).
The state assumes the functions of redistribution of social benets from
the wealthy to the most vulnerable categories of the population. The tax
rate in Sweden is about 67% and is one of the highest in the world, but in
Sweden it is fully oset by the high level of social protection, the lack of
signicant contrasts between wealth and poverty and, consequently, high
political and social stability (Rivchachenko, 2012).
Swedish social security is divided into insurance which depends on the
place of residence, which covers state-guaranteed benets and allowances,
and workplace insurance, which deals with benets in the event of loss of
income. Both types of insurance apply equally to people living or working in
Sweden, i.e., having Swedish citizenship is not a prerequisite for insurance
(Melnyk, 2008).
Unemployment insurance system is separated from the general social
protection system. It is voluntary and implemented by trade unions.
Unemployed people in Sweden refer to those between the ages of 15 and
74 who:
• currently have no work;
• ready to start work within 14 days;
• the last 4 weeks were actively looking for employment or waiting for
the start of the promised work for 3 months (Employment outcomes
and policies, 2019).
138 Nataliya Mudrolyubova, Liudmyla Golovko, Tetiana Shevchenko, Artur Zamryha y Maksym Kutsevych
Features of legal regulation of social protection in Sweden
The unemployment insurance system consists of a basic and a voluntary
component, which is calculated based on the taxes paid. The latter is paid
only to members of the unemployment insurance fund, which is called
the Alfa-cash insurance fund, in Swedish Alfa-kassan. There are certain
conditions for membership, such as the length of employment and the
nature of the work, the need to be registered with the State Employment
Service (Arbetsförmedlingen). It is necessary to be a member of the
insurance fund for the payment of unemployment benets for at least 12
months, where a person must pay monthly contributions.
The amount of compensation is 80 percent of the previous daily earnings,
but not more than the established maximum. In the rst 200 days of
assistance, unemployed can get 80 % of the average income, in the following
days – 70% of the average income. However, there is a limitation on the
amount of the benet. In the rst 100 days of the payment of assistance, it
is a maximum of 910 Swedish Kronor per day (96 EUR), on the following
days – a maximum of 760 Swedish Kronor per day (80 EUR). Aid is subject
to income tax. The allowance is paid only for ve working days of the week,
Saturday and Sunday are not counted (European Commission, 2020).
Membership in unemployment insurance funds is usually mandatory
for union members, but all funds must be open to the voluntary admission
of any employee in the relevant eld of activity. Membership in the
voluntary component of unemployment insurance is free for all workers
and self-employed people without any restrictions. About 80 percent of all
employees are members of unemployment insurance funds.
The maximum period for receiving unemployment benets is 300 days,
and for parents of minor children – 450 days. If during the job search
individuals participated in one of the programs of Employment Service,
then this period will be credited to their future insurance period (days
of participation in the program will be credited as working days). The
allowance is paid ve days a week.
Workers in Sweden have been nearly exempting from paying insurance
premiums and participate in the social security system through taxes
(Hindriks and De Donder, 2003). Over the last 20 years, there has been a
trend of gradual increase in the participation of employees in the nancing
of insurance programs and an increase in insurance deductions from
wages, despite the fact that government spending on social protection has
decreased signicantly.
In addition to wages, the employer must pay income tax (inkomstskatt)
and insurance, social security contributions (arbetsgivaravgifter) for all
employees. These deductions are paid monthly to the Tax Service.
Unemployment insurance is formally private, so it belongs to the
unions. With some exceptions, unemployment insurance has never been
139
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Vol. 40 Nº 74 (2022): 132-147
in the interests of the private insurance industry. Sweden is currently
undergoing changes where several unions have entered into an agreement
with a separate insurance company to insure “management decisions” in
addition to the basic state insurance system for those with higher incomes.
Circumstances in the labor market at the beginning of the 21st century
are signicantly dierent from those that existed in this market for most
of the 90s (Clasen and Oorschot, 2002; Ladychenko et al., 2019). In 1999,
there was a sharp quantitative jump in employment. Swedish labor market
policy aims to support the “work for all” strategy, i.e., to provide work
before providing nancial support. For example, during the last economic
downturn, active measures in the labor market had large-scale nature.
More than 3 percent of the workforce has been trained and involved in
practical or other forms of active reintegration. Sweden’s social program
aims to return the unemployed to normal employment as soon as possible.
In Sweden the unemployed are retrained and return to work, in particular
by providing subsidies for moving to vacant jobs, and huge sums are not
spent to help the unemployed as compensation for lost income. Thus, cash
benets for the unemployed are provided only when it is impossible to oer
a job or when active measures in the labor market are unsuccessful.
Sweden is the world leader in family and youth welfare. Even during
the economic downturn of the early 1990s, during which unemployment
was high, the priority of the following fundamental goals of family policy
in Sweden was never questioned: providing good conditions for raising
children, providing social protection for families, and adhering to the
principles of equal rights of men and women to work; ensuring good child
care; eective combination of universal and targeted types of social benets;
empowering men to take on parental responsibilities.
Family policy in Sweden is an independent area of social policy, which
contains clearly dened measures aimed at the family and focuses on social
protection and support of citizens by the state in the process of solving
family problems. This type of policy includes certain programs and actions
designed to achieve the stated goals regarding the family and its position in
society (Semenets-Orlova, 2011). The Swedish model of state youth policy
provides for signicant state intervention in society-youth relations and
state control over society-youth relations.
Sweden’s family policy dates back to the 18th century. However, modern
family policy with a universal model of social protection was introduced in
the early 1930s during a deep economic downturn. As the birth rate was
very low, it was considered necessary to improve the living conditions of
families. In addition to the introduction of monthly child benets, large
loans were issued to young couples. The availability of modern housing
was perceived as a human right, not a privilege, and therefore signicant
140 Nataliya Mudrolyubova, Liudmyla Golovko, Tetiana Shevchenko, Artur Zamryha y Maksym Kutsevych
Features of legal regulation of social protection in Sweden
government subsidies were issued to accelerate the restructuring of the
housing stock.
The universal model of social protection is based on the well-known
principle of general welfare (Bergh, 2004). Its feature is the presence of a
standard basic system of state social protection, covering society. Almost all
citizens of the country take part in national social programs. Preservation
of the principle of general welfare has become possible due to the presence
of a signicant public sector of the economy and a high level of taxation.
Social and medical support systems include preventive measures,
including free (or very inexpensive) medical examinations during pregnancy,
prenatal and postpartum education programs, and regular health check-
ups. Insurance benets for parents in Sweden have gained international
recognition because they are designed to ensure that both men and women
have the opportunity to combine parenthood with employment. The
insurance system allows the mother or father to stay at home for up to 360
days after the birth of the child, while maintaining 80 % of their income. In
addition, parents are entitled to sick leave to care for a sick child for a total
of 60 days a year (for each child under the age of twelve), while retaining
80 % of the salary (Social work, 2018). Labor legislation guarantees parents
to keep their jobs during parental leave and while exercising their parental
rights.
Municipalities are responsible for providing childcare subsidies for each
child between the ages of one and six if their parents work or study. As the
vast majority of parents of preschool children work, access to childcare has
become a necessity in everyday life. The childcare system in Sweden has
always been at a high level. To improve the quality-of-service provision,
preschool educational institutions received signicant subsidies: for every
3-4 children in preschool educational institutions there was one employee.
At present, the number of employees in preschool educational institutions
has decreased, however, compared to other countries, it remains high (one
employee for 5-6 children) (Country report, 2018).
Sweden’s family policy is based on the principles of gender and class
equality. This ideology has long been implemented in society and is one of
the foundations of the relative success of Swedish family policy (Oleksenko
and Oleksenko, 2020).
Sweden ranks among the rst cities in the world among countries where
citizens respect the values of gender equality: the idea that men and women
have equal access to power, worthy remuneration for work and inuence in
society. Aspects of family policy and gender equality in Swedish society are
closely linked: most social benets are universal, and after divorce neither
party pays alimony, as both will work in paid work in the future and will be
subject to individual taxation.
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The most important component of Sweden’s family policy is the exible
parental leave system introduced in 1978. Interestingly, Sweden was the
rst country to involve a father in caring for a child on a par with the
mother. Parents who have been in a paid job for at least 6 months during
the year before the birth of the child receive six months of paid leave with
the payment of 90 % of the previously received income. Those with an
employment period of less than 6 months receive a at-rate payment of
130 Swedish Kronor per day. Payments are made by the social insurance
fund and are taxable. Parents are guaranteed a previous job. Vacation can
be taken per day or hour before the child reaches the age of eight (Zelleke,
2016; Funta, 2021).
In Sweden, parental involvement in the upbringing of a child is
encouraged by providing 2 months of childbirth leave, which can only
be used by a father. There is a developed system of providing loans for
the purchase of housing for young families and housing maintenance
assistance, which is provided in the amount corresponding to the family
income (Khomitsky, 2007; Ladychenko and Golovko, 2018).
There are a number of laws on the protection of children’s rights in
Sweden. One of them is The Children and Parental Code. The law states that
children have the right to care, safety and good upbringing. In addition, the
law states that children must be treated with respect for their individuality.
They may not be subjected to corporal punishment or degrading treatment.
The law also denes the responsibilities of parents (or other guardians). At
the same time, the state reserves the right to intervene if the child’s basic
needs are not met.
The provision of social assistance, in accordance with the Law on Social
Security, which denes the types of assistance to all those who need it, is
the responsibility of local councils. Municipal social protection programs
for individuals or families are designed to support vulnerable groups
(Larsson, 2003). The programs consist of preventive measures and targeted
educational work with children, youth and people at risk; social assistance
(material support); assistance in the form of family counseling (Degtyar,
2013).
The Social Services Act regulates a set of measures to provide assistance
to individuals, certain social groups, who are in dicult life circumstances
and cannot overcome them on their own, in order to solve their life problems.
It is a framework law that regulates the basic principles of providing social
services, including the functioning of the system of children’s preschool
institutions, development of the child care system.
In fact, the organization of child welfare in Sweden is not the same
throughout the country and diers in dierent administrative districts. In
some cities there are specialized units within the social services, in others
they exist on the basis of schools.
142 Nataliya Mudrolyubova, Liudmyla Golovko, Tetiana Shevchenko, Artur Zamryha y Maksym Kutsevych
Features of legal regulation of social protection in Sweden
Swedish child welfare law does not make a strict distinction between the
protection of children’s rights and juvenile justice. Antisocial behavior of
young people under the age of 20 is a problem of social security for children
and is outside the scope of criminal justice. The activities of local social
services are aimed primarily at providing social support and cooperation
with families. Social services cannot legally refuse support or assistance, for
example by reference to nancial diculties. In general, Swedish legislation
on the protection of children’s rights focuses on social support for families
and the provision of social services.
Sweden’s practice in the eld of youth employment is also noteworthy.
The reduction of taxes on wages for those enterprises and organizations
that employ young people under 25. Such tax benets promote youth
employment is a useful experience of Sweden, worth applying in other
countries (Employment outcomes and policies in Sweden, 2019).
Since 2006, Sweden has pursued a strategic policy to promote
youth employment, in line with the recommendations of the European
Employment Promotion Strategy. The main reform of the new strategy was
the establishment of a job guarantee for youth in December 2007. The job
guarantee for youth is aimed at young people who have been registered as
unemployed with the public employment service for at least three months.
The aim of the program is to help young people nd work at an early stage
as soon as possible, as it is believed that the more time passes, the more and
more dicult it is to nd a job, as the level of search activity of young people
decreases over time.
Taking some measures immediately after losing a job helps young people
not to become long-term unemployed. Young people in Sweden are often
unemployed for a relatively short time, but those who have not nished
secondary school are at risk of long-term unemployment. Young people at
risk of long-term employment are subject to “active measures”, such as on-
the-job training and training from the rst day of unemployment.
The services provided to unemployed youth are the same throughout
the country. Of course, the rate of employment is inuenced by factors
such as local dierences in labor demand, but in general all measures are
proposed at the national level. Youth employment policy should be pursued
in cooperation with other actors in the labor market, namely government
agencies, local authorities, private enterprises and organizations. In
addition to helping young people nd jobs, the government is implementing
a number of other measures to create more employment opportunities for
young people, including: supporting job creation, investment in education,
internships and vocational programs, and reducing social security
contributions.
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There is no specic law on youth in Sweden, but many provisions on
youth and children are reected in the Law on Social Services. The social
problems of young people in Sweden are directly addressed by the so-called
Social Council, which is created in each commune within the social service.
Such a Council should be well aware of local problems, coordinate the
eorts of all organizations, institutions, agencies, youth services.
For this, Sweden has a certain system of social assistance, which the state
provides to young people in education, acquisition of qualications, work,
life, leisure, etc. (Youth policies, 2017). Some youth problems in Sweden
are solved through the State Youth Council, which has the opportunity, in
particular, to allocate assistance to youth organizations directly from the
state budget.
Such an experience is extremely interesting for Ukraine as a country that
has an ambitious goal to become a full member of the European Community.
In the context of the above, the work of the authors’ teams is informative
and interesting in particular regarding new approaches to providing of
environmental management in Ukraine on the way to Euro integration
(Gulac et al., 2019; Gulac et al., 2019; Kachur et al., 2020), legal grounds
for social work organization in rural communities of Ukraine (Vasiuk et
al., 2020; Kutsevych et al., 2018), foreign experience ensuring sustainable
development of local self-government (Ladychenko et al., 2021; Funta et
al., 2016) and analysis of the phenomenon of the modern Ukrainian voter
(Oleksenko et al., 2021), in which the authors give considerable attention
to issues of social protection in Ukraine and the need to adapt it to relevant
European standards.
Conclusions
The Swedish model of welfare state is a unique historical, political
and legal phenomenon. Sweden’s welfare state diers signicantly from
other welfare state models by signicant government intervention in the
redistribution of total social income through a system of taxes and social
benets from low-risk to high-risk groups, from high-income to low-
income citizens and between dierent stages of human life which achieves
the equalization of incomes of citizens, the elimination of class dierences
and contributes to the reduction of social tensions in society.
A signicant asset of Sweden in the social sphere is a balanced, detailed
and prescribed rules of social law, which regulate relations at all stages
of human life so that a person feels protected throughout the life. State
intervention in all spheres of public life without exception, high taxes
and proportional taxation, redistribution of social benets, control over
the implementation of social legislation has secured for Sweden a leading
position in the world in many respects.
144 Nataliya Mudrolyubova, Liudmyla Golovko, Tetiana Shevchenko, Artur Zamryha y Maksym Kutsevych
Features of legal regulation of social protection in Sweden
Sweden has an extensive social security system in which the state plays
an important role.
The state provides social assistance (various directions of subsidies
and payments, or tax deductions) not only to vulnerable groups (children,
pensioners, unemployed, low-income citizens), but also supports citizens
in various life situations (construction costs, housing costs, student grants,
maternity benets, etc.) and in all areas at dierent stages of human life.
In addition to state aid, Sweden has a well-developed system of
assistance with insurance funds, public programs that combine both
corporate elements and private insurance policies. Trade unions play a
special role.
A signicant number of state institutions established to ensure the
social sphere and institutions for monitoring the implementation of social
legislation provide a stable existence of the welfare state, and sucient
access of public institutions and organizations to the functioning of the
social sphere conrms the high development of Sweden as a welfare state.
The monopoly of the Swedish welfare state as the main supplier and
employer in the social sphere and the extent of state intervention in
economic life in accordance with the concept of the Swedish model allows to
put Sweden in rst place among developed countries. The very intervention
of the state in all spheres of life is dened by critics of the social model
of welfare state of Sweden as the main shortcoming that negatively aects
many social processes and phenomena in the country.
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