Sara Stendahl – författare

This book presents in-depth analyses, by nine leading scholars in social security law, of recent reforms in the field of incapacity benefits in four European countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The authors emphasize how recent reforms in the field of social security have been transformed into legal provisions, how the gate-keeping function is implemented in the legislation of the different countries, and to what extent the reforms have affected the legal position of the individuals concerned. They find that ever-tightening requirements designed to reduce benefit dependency, in combination with policies emphasizing individual responsibilities rather than individual rights, cause increased social risks for exposed groups. Among the specific aspects covered are the following:

All the country chapters provide thorough surveys of recent reforms, as well as analyses of their different weaknesses and strengths. The European dimension is explored with particular reference to anti-discrimination legislation, health and safety law as well as the Open Method of Coordination. As a systematic analysis of the current reforms relating to reduced earnings capacity, this book will attract a wide readership among lawyers and policymakers for its thorough coverage of the current landscape and the far-reaching implications it suggests. The book''s systematic comparative method sheds a bright light on the challenges faced by post-industrial European welfare states, and its crystallization of the legal strategies behind the individual legal measures and reforms deepens our understanding of the institutions of social security and our awareness of the rights and obligations of exposed individuals.

Socialförsäkringen är en central del av den svenska välfärdsmodellen, med ett övergripande syfte att tillgodose social trygghet genom ekonomiska förmåner. Det innebär att samhället genom socialförsäkringen garanterar alla mer än ett grundläggande skyddsnät. Mycket talar emellertid för att så inte alltid är fallet.

Sedan år 2011 regleras socialförsäkringen i socialförsäkringsbalken. För att undersöka ändamålsenligheten i socialförsäkringsbalken granskar författarna den ur ett juridiskt perspektiv. Med fokus på sjukpenning, sjukersättning och bostadsbidrag undersöker de lagstiftningens kvalitet och regelverkets förmåga att skapa social trygghet.  

Ruth Mannelqvist är professor i rättsvetenskap vid Juridiska institutionen vid Umeå universitet. Sara Stendahl är professor i offentlig rätt vid Juridiska institutionen vid Göteborgs universitet.