What is the social security system in Northern Europe? What are the advantages and disadvantages of high welfare?

The basic principle of social security system in Nordic countries is to safeguard the interests of all citizens. The purpose of establishing social security system in Finland is to establish a high-level social security system covering all citizens. It is embodied in three aspects: First, to safeguard the interests of all citizens, and every citizen, including domestic indigenous residents and immigrants who meet the requirements of relevant regulations such as residence years, has the right to enjoy relevant social security benefits. The second is to ensure the equality of citizens, regardless of race, class, stratum and gender. High-income earners, low-income earners and non-income earners are all included in the same welfare system. Third, pay attention to individual rights. Every aid or service, even help to families, is aimed at everyone. "No one is left behind" is the most popular goal of social security work in Nordic countries. Under this goal, existing residents can receive pensions regardless of whether they are employed or not. Every family can get the child-care allowance provided by the government to reduce their burden of raising children; All residents can get the best medical services, regardless of their income, social status and other circumstances.

In recent years, in order to prevent the social security with high welfare from breeding "lazy people and those who get something for nothing" and improve the overall efficiency of society, Nordic countries such as Finland have reformed the principle of establishing a social welfare system, so that it can meet the following principles while safeguarding citizens' basic right to subsistence and development conditions: First, the social security enjoyed by residents is reasonable and meets basic needs; Second, these social security measures can not only meet the basic survival needs of citizens, but also stimulate their enthusiasm and creativity in labor and encourage residents to help themselves; Third, the responsibilities of governments at all levels in providing social security are clear; Fourth, the raising of social security funds has an affordable social foundation. On the basis of these basic principles, the social security system can operate effectively and play an important role in promoting economic development and safeguarding citizens' rights and interests.

After years of practice and development, Finland and other Nordic countries have established a relatively complete social security system. This social security system covers a wide range, including education subsidy, free medical care, unemployment relief, care for the elderly, pension payment, assistance for the disabled, single parent allowance, family and child protection, etc. It can be said that under the welfare system of Nordic countries, residents will be taken care of by the state from cradle to grave, and the government will give them basic protection.

Take Finland as an example, Finland's social security system is divided into three parts: preventive safety and health policy, social and health services and social insurance (see table 1). It involves the whole process from birth, infancy to old age, from preventing diseases and accidents, controlling drinking and smoking, to implementing basic free medical care; From free education to unemployment relief to free vocational retraining; From child allowance and single parent allowance to pension payment and care for the elderly, and so on. The social security provided by the government is comprehensive.

Sweden's social security system mainly includes pension insurance annuity system, unemployment insurance, medical insurance, industrial injury insurance, social welfare allowance and other social subsidies, each of which contains many specific contents, such as social welfare including elderly welfare, children's welfare, disabled welfare and education welfare. Social security in Denmark also basically has the above characteristics, but it is different from Finland in specific security standards.

According to an official of the Finnish Ministry of Social Security and Health, with the gradual improvement of the social security system and the continuous expansion of its coverage, Finland's social security expenditure had a rapid growth in the 1980s and a slow growth in the middle and late 1990s, but it has shown a rapid growth trend in recent years. At constant prices in 2003, the total expenditure of 1980 was about15 billion euros, and it was close to 38 billion euros in 2003, an increase of nearly 1.5 times. At the same time, the proportion of social security expenditure in GDP is also increasing. Since 1980, the proportion of social security expenditure in Finland's GDP has remained above 20%, and even exceeded 30% at the peak in the early 1990s. Although the proportion of social security expenditure in GDP has declined in recent years. But overall, it is still on the rise. According to experts from the Finnish Ministry of Social Security and Health, it is estimated that by 2025, the proportion of social security expenditure to GDP will exceed 30%.

In fact, according to the information provided by the Finnish Ministry of Social Security and Health, social security expenditure accounts for a high proportion of GDP not only in Nordic countries but also in countries with better economic development among EU member States (see figure 1). In 2002, the highest proportion was Sweden, about 32.5%, followed by France (30.6%), Germany (30.5%), Denmark (30%) and Finland (26.4%), and the average level of EU 15 countries was 27.5%. In contrast, the proportion of newly joined countries after the EU's eastward expansion is much lower.