Strengthening citizens’ conditions for good health is central to coping with future crises. At the same time, in the welfare sector, health care faces major challenges. Lessons learnt from the pandemic showed that crisis management went hand in hand with the development of knowledge. Research therefore has an important role to play.

How can the Nordic countries develop welfare and welfare services based on important needs both today and in the future? These are complex issues that need to be addressed from several different perspectives, including gender. To stimulate a Nordic discussion, the Nordic Council of Ministers initiated a project that will result in a publication and a seminar. 

Participating researchers and topics

Following an open call, it has now been decided that the following researchers will participate in the project: Paula Mulinari, Department of Social Work, Malmö University, Ann Liljas and Bo Burström, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, John Lapidus, Department of Economy  and Society, University of Gothenburg and Ann-Zofie Duvander and Minna Lundgren, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mid Sweden University.

In a joint publication, the researchers will highlight aspects of welfare health care in the Nordic countries, for good future preparedness. The texts will take the form of essays and highlight the following topics:

• Dreams and reflections on the relationship between time and care among welfare professionals
• Preventing inequalities in health and care of the elderly
• The hidden welfare state
• Vulnerabilities of the war placement strategy

The essays are based on research on care workers and invisible labour, care of older adults in the Nordic countries and care choice reforms, private health insurance, parental leave and childcare, and crisis and risk communication.

The project is administered by NIKK and aims to contribute with knowledge to better understand and analyse challenges and opportunities, in order to make decisions that strengthen crisis preparedness and welfare resilience in the Nordic region, with a focus on healthcare from a gender perspective.