The Ax:son Johnson London Seminars 2014

The Future of the

Welfare State 21

st April 2015

British Academy, London

A SEMINAR ARRANGED BY

AXEL AND MARGARET AX:SON JOHNSON FOUNDATION

THE FUTURE OF THE WELFARE STATE

An Outline

The Welfare State that was established in many European countries in the mid-20th

century has

developed and changed radically over time. This symposium will look at the sort of challenges to

the current Welfare arrangements both now and in the future, and what sort of role it is likely to

have in future generations. The first session will address the costs of welfare as a proportion of

GDP and assess how far they have risen, and what aspects have risen more than others. Are there

other costs associated with Welfare? To what extent has the original concept of Welfare

changed? And how should Welfare be paid for (to what extent should the costs of Welfare be

met by private companies?

The second session will look more at public attitudes towards Welfare and how these have

changed and why? A changing society has changing needs, but how do we reflect on the

successes and failures of Welfare?

The last session will examine the future of Welfare overall. Can the Welfare state endure? Is it

an intrinsic part of a Western Liberal Democracy or do the challenges it faces suggest that it will

change out of all recognition? What sort of culture do Welfare arrangements create? And lastly,

does Welfare help to counter inequality or does it foster it?

The Ax:son Johnson London Seminar Series

Tuesday 21st April

THE FUTURE OF THE WELFARE STATE

1.15 LUNCH

2-3.30 THE COSTS OF WELFARE

Have the proportionate cost of Welfare risen?

Are there other costs associated with Welfare? Has the original idea of Welfare

changed? How should Welfare be paid for? (To what extent should the costs of

Welfare be met by private companies?)

Robert Joyce Spending on social security: past trends, future challenge

Nick Pearce Reforming Welfare

Sheila Lawlor The Cost of Welfare: past, present, future

Christopher Pierson Disadvantaged Squared: the young & the poor

Dave Clements The Social Costs of Welfare

Alison Garnham Austerity & Child Poverty

Karin Svanborg-Svobal The Evolution of Welfare Markets in Sweden

4-5.30 PUBLIC ATTITUDES

What are the changing attitudes towards welfare in Britain and elsewhere?

Why have they changed?

Duncan O’Leary Welfare: Public Attitudes & Public Policy

James Bartholomew Making Welfare states less bad

Richard Wilkinson Inequality and the need for Welfare services

Stuart Waiton Anti-socialisation & the colonisation of everyday life

Ryan Shorthouse Conservative Attitudes to Welfare

Kristina Ström Olsson Swedish perceptions of Welfare

Lars Trägårdh Welfare State Nationalism & the crisis of European

social democracy

6-7.30 FUTURE CHALLENGES

What the future challenges to Welfare? What culture does Welfare create?

Will the Welfare state endure? Is it an intrinsic part of a Liberal Democracy or do the

challenges it faces suggest that it will change out of all recognition?

Does Welfare help to counter inequality or to foster it?

James Panton Historical models of the citizen: past, present &

future of Welfare

Per Mouritsen Immigration, Cohesion & the Welfare State

Rachael Badger Responsive Welfare

Charlie Campbell Reducing numbers leaving workforce for health or

disability reasons

Anastasia de Waal The Change in Modern Families

Danny Kruger The Value in the Voluntary Sector

Matthew Taylor Revisiting Basic Income

Observations: David Goodhart

7.40 DRINKS

8.15 DINNER

PARTICIPANTS

Ayisha Al Busaidi Medical Fellow at Queen’s Square Rachael Badger Citizens Advice Emma Louise Boynton RSA Charlie Campbell Association of British Insurers Nicola Clase Ambassador of Sweden Dave Clements Journalist Magdalen Evans Longford Trust for Prison Reform Stephen Evans NIACE Mary Fitzgerald OpenDemocracy Alison Garnham Child Poverty Action Group David Goodhart Chair of Demos Advisory Group Mattias Hesserus Ax:son Johnson Foundation Katharine Hibbert Social Entrepreneur, Writer, Founder of Dot Dot Dot Steve Hughes Policy Exchange Anastasia de Waal Civitas Daniel Johnson Standpoint magazine Robert Joyce Institute for Fiscal Studies Danny Kruger Only Connect Sheila Lawlor Director, Politeia Maeve McGoldrick Director of Policy and Communications, ERSA James Mole Citizens Advice Juan Moscoso Spanish MP Per Mouritsen Aarhus University, Denmark Martha Nicolson Student in Public Health Ann Nilsen Swedish Embassy Selina O’Grady Writer Duncan O’Leary Demos James Panton Lecturer in Politics & Philosophy, Open University Nick Pearce Director, IPPR John Peet Europe Editor, Economist Christopher Pierson Nottingham University: Old, Young and poor Vesna Popovski LSE Thomas Raines Chatham House Ryan Shorthouse Bright Blue Jack Simpson Battle of Ideas, State of the Arts Karin Svanborg-Svobal Timbro Laetitia Strauch-Bonart PhD Student in Politics at EHESS, Paris Kristina Ström Olsson Swedish Welfare Academy Matthew Taylor Chief Executive, RSA Bella Thomas Convenor of Ax:son Johnson London Seminars Catarina Tully From Over here, Stand Against Poverty Spencer Thompson IPPR Lars Trägårdh Professor of History, Ersta Sköndal Univ, Stockholm Georgios Varouxakis Queen Mary, University of London Stuart Waiton University of Abertay Dundee Helen White ABI Richard Wilkinson The Equality Trust