Det 10. Nordiske sosialpolitiske forskerseminar, Voksenåsen 17. – 19. august.

By Minister of Social Affaires Guri Ingebrigtsen

It is a pleasure for me to open the 10 ^th> Nordic research seminar on social policy. It is an important event. Researchers from the Nordic countries will meet to exchange knowledge in the field of social policy.

I am also pleased that I, as a politician, can join you today. Research in social policy issues gives us the basic knowledge to form and to implement social politics. Research gives us the possibility to improve and to reassure the quality of our social security system. In this respect, this seminar is important to the development of social politics in the Nordic countries.

I will briefly outline and discuss the challenges in social policy in Norway, and I suppose the situation will be rather similar in the other Nordic countries as well. I will also like to stress how research on social policy issues are important in the process of creating a social policy that provides security for all. As I have mentioned, we need knowledge to make good policy decisions.

Social policy in the Nordic countries are built on general and universal principles, and not only a social aid – policy toward the poorest.

The entitlements to benefits and services are equal for all citizens.

This has, for the last 50 years, been a successful strategy to create welfare for all people, and to promote social equality. But for the last decade or so, we have seen a development towards increasing social inequality and marginalization. How to create social security for all people, has become a more focused challenge in social policy today.

The main purpose of social security is to ensure the households’ economy against such events as unemployment, sickness, handicap, old age and death. At the same time, work should be the prime source of income, and work participation should be promoted. Job possibilities should be improved for the persons who want a job, but do not have one. This is also a part of the major objective in our social policy "Help towards self- help". To give people the best possible opportunity to support themselves and their families through own income. Not to be caught in a "poverty- trap".

Therefore, in all the Nordic countries, active labour market measures constitute an important and integrated part of the social policy.

The Norwegian Parliament has recently discussed a Governmental White Paper on "Equitable Restribution". Due to contributions from social research, this White Paper gives profound analyses of the distribution of income and living conditions in Norway during the last decade. The report tells us that there has been a positive development in income and welfare for the majority of the population.

However, the gap between the richest and the poorest has widened. There is a clear tendency towards marginalization of some groups of the population. For me, this is one of the major issues in social politics today: our challenge is to prevent social exclusion and to minimise the "back yard" of the society. As I am pleased to see, this will also be an issue at this seminar.

The analyses in the White Paper makes a solid ground for making political decisions. The Parliament has now agreed upon a broad set of strategies to promote social inclusion and to reduce poverty. The strategies are – briefly mentioned:

• More flexible and human labour market measures
• A more socially – oriented housing policy
• Improved public health and social services
• A more finely meshed social safety-net
• A fair and effective taxation

To make the political measures goal- oriented and effective, we need to understand the causes and forces that lead to marginalisation and poverty. Research on social policy issues helps us to understand these processes. This again illustrates the importance of a fruitful relation between research and politics.

We have learned that the most important cause of poverty and social exclusion is weak links to the labour market. This often coincides with low levels of education, poor health and relatively poor housing-conditions. These complex problems demands a range of various measures in the social policy. We need a well coordinated and flexible social welfare system.

The universal system of benefits and services is not sufficient to deal with the problems of these people. In addition, we need to focus more on marginalization and poverty. During 50 years we have built a welfare state for the majority. Now our task is to lift the minority.

To deal with the issue of equal redistribution and social inclusion, the Government in Norway will set up a Plan of Action for economic and social security. Our main focus is the most disadvantaged. This Plan of Action will include a number of strategies and measures to prevent social exclusion and marginalization. This will also be an important issue in the Governments Long term programme for 2002-2005 next year, presenting as a White Paper for the Parliament.

To implement the measures, we need updated knowledge of the target groups. We need to see how the welfare state works for various groups of the population, and to evaluate the effects of social measures and reforms. To provide security for all, we need knowledge from individual and structural perspectives. Social research is a key to this knowledge.

Preventing poverty and social exclusion includes several challenges in social policy. I will mention some of the important issues:

• Creating a labour market that includes all people. We need flexible solutions that also include people with physical, mental or social problems.

• Creating a welfare state which meets the needs of a multicultural population
• Adjust social policy to the changes in family relations, and the increasing number of single person – households and single parents.

• Meeting the needs and the demands of an ageing population, where people are getting older, and the tendency of increasing early retirement pension
• Meeting the trends of globalisation of markets and individualisation of attitudes and consumer choises

As I see of the program of this seminar, these are also issues in social policy research, and will be discussed during the days here at Voksenåseb.

I wish you all a pleasant stay , and I am sure it will make a great contribution to the debate on how the social politics and the welfare state should be structured and organised in the future.