Comparative study on Welfare Governance and Transforming Care Work

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H03711
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Social welfare and social work studies
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Ishiguro Nobu 大阪大学, 大学院人文学研究科(外国学専攻、日本学専攻), 教授 (20273740)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山井 弥生 (斉藤弥生) 大阪大学, 人間科学研究科, 教授 (40263347) ; 吉岡 洋子 関西大学, 社会学部, 教授 (80462018)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 介護労働 / ケア / ガバナンス / 北欧

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the provision of long-term care services for the elderly in the Nordic countries, municipalities play a major role in all three areas of "service delivery," i.e. "delivery", "financing" and "regulation". The organizations directly involved in long-term care, such as the organizations of the elderly and labor union organizations of care workers, also participate significantly in the policy-making process. In both Scandinavia and Japan, "re-familisation" and "privatisation" are progressing along with the "marketisation" of long-term care services, creating social inequality depending on the economic status of the care recipient. In Japan, the lack of a well-developed home-visit care service provisions resulted in high concentration of older people with severe care needs in residential care. This has a significant impact on the tasks and work conditions of care workers.

Free Research Field

社会福祉学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、デンマーク、スウェーデン、日本の高齢者介護政策における福祉ガバナンスの諸相とケアワークの実態を実証的に解明した。介護の国際比較研究において、制度的な面だけでなく介護現場におけるケアワークに焦点を当てた研究はほとんどみられず、学術的意義が大きいと考える。また、国際比較を踏まえて日本の介護実践の立ち位置を確認し、課題を指摘するとともに今後の介護政策への示唆を提示した点において社会的意義が見出せる。