Equally to All? The Significance of Collectively Negotiated Sickness Benefits in Cross-Nordic Social Policy Analysis

Abstract

Most previous research on social welfare has focused on the statutory part of welfare delivery. By examining collectively-negotiated sickness benefits, this article introduces occupational welfare into cross-national analyses of social policy and explores how this changes the Nordic welfare model. Instead of limiting its focus to one average worker wage, the article examines five different occupations representing both low-skilled and high-skilled workers, as well as public and private sector employees. Using the stylised case method and examining three different durations of sickness, the study shows that employees in different occupations have different rights in relation to occupational benefits during sickness. Although the results found by the analysis vary with length of sickness, the article concludes that, in general, occupational welfare has a reinforcing effect on the existing differences between occupations generated by public benefits. The analysis presents evidence of not-so-equal aspects of the Nordic welfare model.