Research project Invisible Cutbacks?

In recent years, the number of social assistance recipients has declined rapidly in Sweden. Currently, a historically low proportion of the population receives the benefit. This project examines two types of possible explanations for this development, as well as potential interactions between them. Firstly, the occurrence of indications that the need for social assistance has diminished is analyzed. Furthermore, it is examined whether the conditions for applying for and/or being granted social assistance have changed.

The study design employs municipalities as the central unit of analysis and focuses on registry data concerning labor market and demographic dynamics on one hand, and survey data on social services' work with social assistance on the other.