(Written in Swedish with a summary in English)
The subject of the dissertation is formal and substantive rights.
It focuses on the question of the role of different types of welfare
states in the social rights of elderly immigrants and their power
resources. Despite changes that have occurred during the post-war
period, the situation of immigrants can nonetheless be problematic.
They can still be excluded from or included in welfare in various
ways. On the basis of questionnaires and deep interviews, the
significance of the Swedish, British and German welfare states
for elderly immigrants from the Middle East residing in Stockholm,
London and Berlin is studied. The dissertation can be situated
within two important, but previously separate, research fields.
The theoretical point of departure for the discussion is Esping-Andersen´s
research, which is based primarily on work-related social insurance
for persons who are gainfully employed. Generous welfare states,
according to him, have a high degree of decommodification, i.e.
provide the possibility of living independently of the market.
He starts with citizens from the working class, which means that
immigrants fall outside of his analytic framework. For this reason,
his theory supplemented by research on immigration and immigrant
policy. In this dissertation Esping-Andersen´s historical class
perspective is supplemented by considerations of state membership
and immigrant policy in Sweden, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Beyond the conditions that apply to the majority population, welfare
states stratify immigrants through immigrant policy. In addition
to work-related social insurance, the study includes health care,
elderly care and social welfare allowances, which have a more
subordinate role in Esping-Andersen´s research. In contrast to
Esping-Andersen´s results, the dissertation demonstrates that
the possibility for immigrants to live independently of the market
is greater in the United Kingdom than in Germany. In this respect,
the United Kingdom is comparable to Sweden. The results indicate
that in addition to conditions placed specifically on immigrants,
substantive rights can also be problematic. Despite the existence
of formal rights, the substantive rights of elderly immigrants
run up against problems in relation to public authorities and
access to information. Elderly immigrants have very limited social
and political resources to bring to bear. These problems can be
found in all three countries, even though there is some variation.