Varför behövs mer idéburen välfärd? Allmänmänskliga behov framför fjärrstyrda kontrollbehov

Abstract

The Swedish welfare system is facing a tumultuous time and the need for innovation and reassessment of the system is greater than ever. We need to question old assumptions and seek new solutions. Do today's basic assumptions governing the Swedish welfare system truly reflect human needs in a relevant way?

It's time to challenge New Public Management (NPM), a model that due to its focus on control, economization, and measurability, seems impossible to reconcile with both humanism and ultimately, efficiency. A paradigm shift is required, to question the systems of evaluation that directly or indirectly govern Swedish welfare.

Interdisciplinary and practice-based research is needed to show which services are actually required – when and how needs can be met and to identify what actually works. To ensure that this knowledge is reflected in the public procurement of welfare services. This in turn will give the non-profit actors opportunities to contribute with the unique values that form the basis for their existence. Then we can also highlight the values that risk being lost in today's welfare system, driven as it is by systems of control- and measurement.