Table 1. A presentation of the main characteristics of social citizenship and active citizenship.
Social citizenshipActive citizenshipThe role of
the individualCriterion: The individual is a (passive) receiver of, and dependent on, state guaranteed service and support, minor or no responsibility expectations on the individual.Criterion: The individual shall be given responsibility and options, be able to reach one's potential and to actively participate in decision-making in society as well as in matters concerning oneself.Example: ‘The client has to have the right to the necessary services he needs due to his/her disability everywhere in Finland. The principle of equality requires that disability must not cause extra costs for the client. The society has to provide the services needed and to compensate for extra costs due to disability.’ (Pekka Kuosmanen, National Coalition Party)Example: ‘…we should turn our focus on the resources in each person, and strengthen them and provide the best possible conditions. This has to be promoted by this government, and by future governments, so that we can get all people's resources in use, so that young people can study with full potential, get a profession and participate in the labour market.’ (Minister for Social Affairs and Health Tuula Haatainen, Social Democratic Party)The design
of the social
rightsCriterion: Universal, contractual rights, subjective rights more binding legislation.Criterion: Conditional, ‘reciprocal’, rights, ‘no rights without responsibilities’.Example: ‘Like already noted, the renewal of the civil rights obligates to develop the services in the way so that the fundamental and human rights are guaranteed for every Finnish person, everyone living in Finland. All this supports that the arrangement of personal assistance should be turned into a subjective right for people with severe disabilities.’ (Ulla Anttila, Greens)Example: ‘Instead of disability pension a disabled person could get some sort of a wage which would guarantee his/her living. The wage would also require working but the paid workers would not cause extra costs for the employer. In this way the employers would find creative solutions for employing people with disabilities. In the working age you would be working, no matter if the work would be controlling one's own daily living or performing tasks with the help of a employment assistant or whatever solutions there is to be found.’ (Susanna Haapoja, Centre Party)The (state's) responsibility
for the
disability
policyCriterion: The state and municipalities as service producers within the disability policies, scepticism towards alternative solutions and service producers.Criterion: Cooperation with and openness towards alternative solutions and service producers within disability policies.Example: ‘When it comes to the Act on Public Procurement, it is necessary to note the special character of the social- and healthcare services when planning the rules for competitive procurement, because the rules of market economy are not suitable for guaranteeing people's most necessary services and the choice of service cannot be based solely on a financial evaluation but quality should be the most central criteria when getting the services.’ (Satu Taiveaho, Social Democratic Party)Example: ‘We know that an increasing amount of services are produced in cooperation with for example the third sector; there are many actors, disabled people's NGOs. Still the pressure of the competition legislation is today a threat to the NGO-based service production, for example for the living-, caring- and welfare services provided by the disabled people's NGOs.’ (Leena Rauhala, Christian Democrats)