“I think they consider themselves free from all responsibility”. User Perspectives on Neoliberal Undermining of Welfare Services During the Pandemic
The pandemic brought to the surface various structural and systemic challenges facing disabled people. Grounded in feminist standpoint theory and critical disability studies, this paper explores the experiences of users of personal assistance (PA) services in Iceland during the pandemic. Altogether...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Danish |
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Universitetsforlaget
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Nordisk Välfärdsforskning |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.scup.com/doi/10.18261/nwr.10.2.3 |
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| author | Hrafnhildur Snæfríðar- og Gunnarsdóttir Ásta Jóhannsdóttir Freyja Haraldsdóttir |
| author_facet | Hrafnhildur Snæfríðar- og Gunnarsdóttir Ásta Jóhannsdóttir Freyja Haraldsdóttir |
| author_sort | Hrafnhildur Snæfríðar- og Gunnarsdóttir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The pandemic brought to the surface various structural and systemic challenges facing disabled people. Grounded in feminist standpoint theory and critical disability studies, this paper explores the experiences of users of personal assistance (PA) services in Iceland during the pandemic. Altogether eight disabled adults and parents of three disabled children participated in semi-structured interviews. In addition to uncertainties and health concerns associated with COVID-19, the pandemic introduced novel complications and administrative responsibilities for users of personal assistance. Unacknowledged by municipalities, these burdens proved onerous and stressful to participants, and led in some cases to dangerous situations that could have been avoided. The findings highlight the process through which this was facilitated: by the increased responsibilization of service users and the influence of market ideology and austerity. Framing the services as a private-sector-inspired contract enabled municipalities to evade their responsibilities towards disabled service users, in stark contrast to the social justice and human rights understanding in which the services are embedded. The paper is a contribution to research problematizing neoliberal undermining of welfare services and the commodification of fundamental values such as welfare and the human rights of disabled people. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-687e5d388b4046eba9d9041be9e28ffd |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2464-4161 |
| language | Danish |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Universitetsforlaget |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordisk Välfärdsforskning |
| spelling | doaj-art-687e5d388b4046eba9d9041be9e28ffd2025-08-20T03:07:23ZdanUniversitetsforlagetNordisk Välfärdsforskning2464-41612025-06-0110211410.18261/nwr.10.2.3“I think they consider themselves free from all responsibility”. User Perspectives on Neoliberal Undermining of Welfare Services During the PandemicHrafnhildur Snæfríðar- og Gunnarsdóttir0Ásta Jóhannsdóttir1Freyja Haraldsdóttir2School of Social Sciences, University of Iceland, IcelandFaculty of Education and Diversity, University of Iceland, IcelandFaculty of Education and Diversity, University of Iceland, IcelandThe pandemic brought to the surface various structural and systemic challenges facing disabled people. Grounded in feminist standpoint theory and critical disability studies, this paper explores the experiences of users of personal assistance (PA) services in Iceland during the pandemic. Altogether eight disabled adults and parents of three disabled children participated in semi-structured interviews. In addition to uncertainties and health concerns associated with COVID-19, the pandemic introduced novel complications and administrative responsibilities for users of personal assistance. Unacknowledged by municipalities, these burdens proved onerous and stressful to participants, and led in some cases to dangerous situations that could have been avoided. The findings highlight the process through which this was facilitated: by the increased responsibilization of service users and the influence of market ideology and austerity. Framing the services as a private-sector-inspired contract enabled municipalities to evade their responsibilities towards disabled service users, in stark contrast to the social justice and human rights understanding in which the services are embedded. The paper is a contribution to research problematizing neoliberal undermining of welfare services and the commodification of fundamental values such as welfare and the human rights of disabled people.https://www.scup.com/doi/10.18261/nwr.10.2.3COVID-19Icelandpersonal assistanceneoliberalismresponsibilization |
| spellingShingle | Hrafnhildur Snæfríðar- og Gunnarsdóttir Ásta Jóhannsdóttir Freyja Haraldsdóttir “I think they consider themselves free from all responsibility”. User Perspectives on Neoliberal Undermining of Welfare Services During the Pandemic Nordisk Välfärdsforskning COVID-19 Iceland personal assistance neoliberalism responsibilization |
| title | “I think they consider themselves free from all responsibility”. User Perspectives on Neoliberal Undermining of Welfare Services During the Pandemic |
| title_full | “I think they consider themselves free from all responsibility”. User Perspectives on Neoliberal Undermining of Welfare Services During the Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | “I think they consider themselves free from all responsibility”. User Perspectives on Neoliberal Undermining of Welfare Services During the Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | “I think they consider themselves free from all responsibility”. User Perspectives on Neoliberal Undermining of Welfare Services During the Pandemic |
| title_short | “I think they consider themselves free from all responsibility”. User Perspectives on Neoliberal Undermining of Welfare Services During the Pandemic |
| title_sort | i think they consider themselves free from all responsibility user perspectives on neoliberal undermining of welfare services during the pandemic |
| topic | COVID-19 Iceland personal assistance neoliberalism responsibilization |
| url | https://www.scup.com/doi/10.18261/nwr.10.2.3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hrafnhildursnæfriðaroggunnarsdottir ithinktheyconsiderthemselvesfreefromallresponsibilityuserperspectivesonneoliberalunderminingofwelfareservicesduringthepandemic AT astajohannsdottir ithinktheyconsiderthemselvesfreefromallresponsibilityuserperspectivesonneoliberalunderminingofwelfareservicesduringthepandemic AT freyjaharaldsdottir ithinktheyconsiderthemselvesfreefromallresponsibilityuserperspectivesonneoliberalunderminingofwelfareservicesduringthepandemic |