Welfare technology meets care work. An intersectional analysis of institutional and organizational conditions for home care work in Sweden and Finland

Research problem and specific questionsDespite political initiatives pushing for the implementation of welfare technology, research knowledge about the importance of the context for the technology´s consequences in care work is scarce.

To contribute to knowledge, the project uses an intersectional perspective and studies under which conditions the welfare technology used in home care promotes or opposes a positive development of working conditions for home care staff in Finland and Sweden.Data and methodComparative case studies are conducted in 4 home care units in 2 types of municipalities in both Sweden and Finland.

Institutional, organizational and workplace levels in the two countries are analyzed and compared based on methods used in studies that analyze the institutional context, and organizations as inequality regimes. The qualitative methods are combined with a survey in Finland and Sweden.

The systematic analysis of countries is used to gain insights into which mechanisms are significant for the welfare technology´s consequences on the working conditions of care work.Societal relevance and utilizationThe project´s comparative design makes it possible to develop knowledge about which conditions the welfare technology results in equal and good working conditions in home care work, which is characterized by low status and work environment problems.

Such knowledge provides learning about the role political initiatives, regulations and organizing have for the consequences of technology in care work and has practical implications for actors who design and develop welfare work.

A plan for using the results is drawn up with a reference group consisting of representatives from the labor market and external researchers from Finland and Sweden.

In addition, the results are analyzed during a dialogue seminar involving national and regional steering groups for welfare technology and digitalization in Finland and Sweden.

The project also develops a survey about welfare technology that can be used in work environment studies.Plan for project realizationThe three-year project is carried out in the form of five sub-studies, of which four are empirical studies that analyze the three level  in Finland and Sweden, which are then combined in a synthesizing analysis in the last sub-study.

The studies are led by two associate professors and one researcher. In addition, a PhD student is employed. Claimed costs mainly consist of personnel costs.