Solution One - Construct infrastructure for well-managed poverty alleviation
Poverty alleviation is also knows as poverty reduction, refers to a set of measures to permanently lift people out of poverty. However, currently the poverty alleviation strategies implemented by the Swedish government are not well managed. Poverty alleviation strategies or measures must reflect the best practices in public management. In other words, specific and clear goals should be set in the process of poverty reduction. So far, the official measures undertaken by the Swedish government are ineffective in identifying what problems are or proposing solutions to different parts of the poverty problems. The current official measure of poverty is to compare annual household income with a poverty standard line. It is reported that only 7% of Swedish citizens live at or below the EU’s risk-of-poverty line (Borgen Magazine, 2018). However, in order to reduce poverty, one common measure is to increase the annual disposable income of average citizens. In a welfare-state, the middle and high-income groups may be taxed heavily to support social welfare system such as health care, housing, education, and unemployment compensation. Through redistributing wealth, it is possible for a country like Sweden to lift people out poverty. However, one major problem is that people from the middle or high income groups may immigrate to other countries and look for tax heaven. The taxes collected will keep decreasing. Meanwhile, without effectively managing social welfare insurances and funds, the collapse of the welfare system may further lead to disastrous consequences. More people may be at the risk of poverty in the future. As such, it can be observed that the poverty problem can never be easily addressed through drawing a line between the poor and the rich in terms of annual disposable income. A poverty strategy is more effective when it is proposed to address specific and realistic problems. For instance, currently housing availability and prices in Sweden may affect those at risk for living in below the poverty line. As such, the official poverty alleviation measure should target more on addressing the housing shortage and prices. Lloyd-Jones and Rakodi (2014) suggests that a well-managed poverty alleviation should follow a list of problem-solving procedures as follows,
Ø Identify variants in the poverty problems such as high housing price
Ø Identify the unit in which the effort will operate
Ø Identify major stakeholders such as and initiate a pilot project. The project should start small and then expand to a wider social group
Ø Defining the major goal in a poverty alleviation strategy. The goal should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based.
Ø Assessment of strategic and alternative options
Ø Small-scale testing
Ø Reinforcement and Evaluation
Through strictly following the above-mentioned guideline, it is possible for policy-makers and program operators to achieve the goal of poverty reduction more effectively.
Solution Two - Addressing Food-insecurity and nutrition-related problems through effectively government policy
Like the aforementioned, the Swedish government tends to define and judge poverty based on the EU’s risk-of-poverty line. However, it is not feasible for policy-makers to have an in-depth understanding various dimensions and variants in the poverty problem in Sweden. Food insecurity and nutrition problems are also closely associated with poverty (Pena & Bacallao, 2002). At the current stage, Sweden reports very few issues with respect to food insecurity and malnutrition. It does not mean that the food problems in the country has been thoroughly eradicated. According to the Smart City Sweden, food insecurity is associated with lack of food accessibility and food shortage (Borgen Project, 2020). Malnutrition, on the other hand, can occur from food insecurity and shortage. It can adversely affect the children’s growth in Sweden. Even though hunger and malnutrition are unlikely to occur, the accessibility Swedish people experience inequalities in regards to the accessibility of food and nutrition depending on one’s social and economic positions. People from low-income group have no problems to consume food. However, very often, they purchase high-calorie fast food because they are much cheaper than other types of food (Tanumihardjo, et al., 2007). In this sense, poverty can also be linked to the increasing trend of childhood and adulthood obesity in Sweden. The Swedish government must implement an effective strategy to allow children to make an access to food and nutrition. For instance, the government should subsidize the meals for children form the low-income group in schoo (Moraeusl et al., 2012). Besides, it will be even better if the school meals are prepared according to the instructions and advice of professional nutritionists. It is reported that over 51 percent of the Swedish population aged between 15 to 85 are either overweight or obese (Juul & Hemmingsson, 2015). As such, it can be observed that no only people from the low-income group but also all income groups may suffer from the problem of overweight or obesity. The Swedish government should take a key role in addressing food problems such as food insecurity and nutrition for all social groups.
Solution Three - Swedish Government can work closely with the United Nations and private sectors to jointly fight against poverty
Even though at the current stage,absolute poverty is non-existent in Sweden, it is difficult to make sure that there will be no poverty issues in the future. As a matter of fact, nearly 15% of Swedish people are impoverished in comparison with the national median annual disposable income. It is difficult for Sweden’s government to resolve domestic and global poverty issues alone. The government should seek for collaboration and cooperation with international communities. For instance, the Swedish government and the United Nations signed a Strategic Partner Agreement. The government contributes more than $370 million to help the United Nations achieve the goal of zero hunger in the world (Behrendt, 2018). In return, Sweden can also benefit from international collaboration and cooperation. Smart City Sweden, a state-funded export platform, is focusing on ending hunger and promoting sustainable solutions for both Sweden and other countries in the world (Smart City Sweden, 2020). These solutions will make agricultural production more effectively. Besides, the Swedish government can also work with private sectors to secure the agricultural imports from other countries. It should be noticed that the arable land in Sweden is quite limited. It makes Sweden an import-dependent countries. The government should reduce the import tax for local agents and distributors to import agricultural goods from other countries like Canada, Australia, and the U.S. Through working with the United Nations and private sectors, the food insecurity problem can be effectively prevented in Sweden. Besides, Sweden can also contribute its part in attaining the universal goal of zero hunger for mankind.
Apart from proposing solutions to address poverty issues in Sweden, it is also necessary to implement reinforcement and evaluation plan to secure the government efforts. Previously, the discussions on defining and measuring poverty are very complicated and confusing. Many governments in the world often use annual disposable income to draw a poverty line dividing the poor and the rich. As a result, most anti-poverty measures are based on increasing the disposable income of people above the poverty line. In this sense, the Swedish Government is highly effective in reducing poverty. However, in reality, there are many dimensions and variants within poverty. It requires the Swedish government to be more specific about how poverty, and its reduction, can be measured and evaluated.
First, in the evaluation plan, the Swedish government should prioritize poverty eradication in the society. For instance, the government can conduct a comprehensive survey of poverty in Sweden. The poverty indicators are not just about disposable income. The government should approach different demographic and social groups such as “Working poor”, single-parent family, and low-income retirees and learn more about the problem of poverty. Through communicating and interacting with civil society actors, the government can redefine the meaning of “poverty” in Sweden’s context. For instance, many people are impoverished in comparison to the national median income. When the definition of poverty in Sweden is redefined, the government can further set clear standards and explain how poverty can be measured and eliminated. Additionally, the government should identify and evaluate the current system failures and deficiencies so that the low-income group does not end up without support from the welfare system. The Swedish government should specify what roles the government bodies, state-owned organizations, and private sectors can play in combating poverty in Sweden.
Besides, the social security system should be re-adjusted and modified to cover pension levels and sickness compensation. The Swedish government must ensure its people to live a dignified life with full social participation. Not a single Swedish citizen should live below the minimum standard of living in the country. The minimum standard of living in Sweden may be different from other countries in the world. For instance, most countries in the world are trying to increase the disposable income of their citizens. Sweden will have no absolute poverty based on the EU’s r risk-of-poverty line. However, it does not mean that Swedish people have not suffered the problems of poverty. Due to the current high living and health care costs, it is important for Swedish government to strengthen one’s ability to live an independent life with active participation in community life. In this sense, the government should work with local communities to evaluate whether poverty issues have been fully addressed. The effectiveness of poverty alleviation measures and policies can be reflected by the level of citizens’ community participation such as volunteered community services.
Reference
Behrendt, C. (2018). At the Margins of the Welfare State: Social Assistance and the Alleviation of Poverty in Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Routledge.
Borgen Project. (2020). 4 facts about hunger in Sweden. Retrieved from:https://borgenproject.org/hunger-in-sweden/
Borgen Magazine. (2018). Details to Know: Top 10 Facts About Poverty in Sweden. Retrieved from:https://www.borgenmagazine.com/top-10-facts-about-poverty-in-sweden/
Juul, F., & Hemmingsson, E. (2015). Trends in consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity in Sweden between 1960 and 2010. Public health nutrition, 18(17), 3096-3107.
Lloyd-Jones, T., & Rakodi, C. (2014). Urban livelihoods: A people-centred approach to reducing poverty. Routledge.
Moraeus, L., Lissner, L., Yngve, A., Poortvliet, E., Al-Ansari, U., & Sjöberg, A. (2012). Multi-level influences on childhood obesity in Sweden: societal factors, parental determinants and child’s lifestyle. International Journal of Obesity, 36(7), 969-976.
Pena, M., & Bacallao, J. (2002). Malnutrition and poverty. Annual review of nutrition, 22(1), 241-253.
Smart City Sweden. (2020). End poverty in all its forms everywhere. Retrieved from: https://smartcitysweden.com/global-goals/no-poverty/
Tanumihardjo, S. A., Anderson, C., Kaufer-Horwitz, M., Bode, L., Emenaker, N. J., Haqq, A. M., & Stadler, D. D. (2007). Poverty, obesity, and malnutrition: an international perspective recognizing the paradox. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107(11), 1966-1972.