Chapter 7.2, How can we respond to socio-economic diversity Flashcards
1
Q
Responses of citizens: Individuals
A
- Individuals can play their part and respond by contributing their time, effort, and money to meet areas of need in society.
- They can start ground-up initiatives and mobilize resources to distribute food to those in need. In 2014, Mr Nizar Mohamed Shariff started a charity called Free Food For All (FFFA) to provide nutritious Halal food to the less fortunate, regardless of their race or religion. FFFA also offers different food options and channels, which include ready to eat meals, fresh vegetables, groceries and a weekly stocked community fridge. In **2021 alone, FFFA served more than 160,000 meals, which include RTE meals to more than 1000 families each month. **
- They can volunteer with existing organisations to provide services to other groups in society too
- Individuals play a critical role in helping themselves, their families and the society.
- They can contribute resources and take concrete actions to respond to the needs of others.
2
Q
Responses of citizens: Community groups
A
- In a socio-economically diverse country like Singapore, there are some groups in society who may not have enough resources and opportunities to progress.
- Formal and informal community groups can step in to provide support in the form of financial aid, guidance, and resources.
- Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT) is a formal community group that conducts programmes to help women aged 20-60 to upgrade their skills and find jobs. Most of these women come from low- income families or live in subsidized rental flats. DOT’s financial literacy programme is a series of 4 weekly workshops followed by seven months with a support group. The women learn good money management skills and progress towards their financial goals.
- Community groups can help increase their life circumstances and opportunities for social mobility.
3
Q
Responses of government: Sweden
A
- Government financed approach in Sweden
- In a government financed approach, the government provides substantial subsidies, allowances and opportunities to equip individuals with skills for employment.
4
Q
Healthcare in Sweden
A
- Healthcare services such as hospital care, medicine, dental care, disability support and rehabilitation services are publicly funded.
- All families are covered by a medical protection scheme.
- All children in the household can claim up to 2,466 Swedish kronor (about $330) yearly from the government.
- Since 2019, dental care costs are free for residents up to the age of 23. Dental care from the age of 24 is subsidised.
- Thus, the healthcare system in Sweden ensures that all citizens have access to healthcare services regardless of background or socio-economic status and diversity.
5
Q
Education in Sweden
A
- Education is funded by the government and provided to all Swedes.
- Education is compulsory from ages 6-16.
- Sweden provides a free school lunch to every child.
- All students have access to a school doctor, school nurse, psychologist, and school welfare officer at no cost.
- Tuition fees for tertiary education are fully subsidised for Swedish students.
- The provision of substantial assistance and financial support ensures that citizens and individuals of different socio-economic backgrounds have access to education.
6
Q
Housing in Sweden
A
- Allowance is provided to lower-income individuals or families who need help to pay for housing or housing fees for their own home:
- Families may receive housing allowance if they live with children and pay more than 1.400 Swedish kronor (about $190) for their housing.
- For the elderly with low or no income, they are entitled to a housing supplement which acts as a form of financial support.
- Thus, the housing system in Sweden ensures that all citizens have access to housing regardless of background or socio-economic status and diversity.
7
Q
Skills training in Sweden
A
- The Swedish Public Employment Service provides training to equip individuals with skills to increase their chances of employment
- Free vocational courses are provided to train individuals from diverse backgrounds for industries that lack skilled workers.
- Applicants for these courses must be registered as a job seeker with the Swedish Public Employment service.
- Applicants must be above 25 years old; under 25 years and have a disability; over 18 years old and have circumstances that make it difficult for them to be employed.
- Thus, the Swedish Public Employment Service in Sweden ensures that all citizens are equipped to be employable regardless of background or socio-economic status and diversity.
8
Q
Challenges faced by Sweden
A
- High taxation rate
- Ageing population
- High immigrant unemployment rates
9
Q
High taxation rates in Sweden
A
- The social benefits provided by the Swedish government, such as lengthy parental leave, unemployment allowances, healthcare and free education are made possible by the high taxation rate in Sweden.
- In 2019, the highest income earners in Sweden pay income taxes of 57.2%, which is one of the highest in the world.
- Besides direct taxation in the form of income tax, there is also indirect taxation in the form of Value Added Tax (VAT), which is similar to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Singapore. The VAT was 25% in Sweden in 2019.
- This high taxation rate makes working and conducting business activities in Sweden unattractive.
- There will be less incentive to work and fewer investments.
- Hence there will be fewer funds that can be spent on managing the costs of the Swedish healthcare system.
10
Q
Ageing population in Sweden
A
- Swedish eldercare is largely funded by taxes and government grants.
- In 2018, the total cost of eldercare in Sweden was 126.3 billion kronor ($17.2 billion).
- Sweden’s life expectancy is one of the highest in the world—80.6 years for men and close to 84.3 year for women.
- With an ageing population and high life expectancy, government spending will increase over time, especially in the areas of health and long-term care.
- However, as more people retire, it will be a smaller working population to bear this increased cost. There will be need to increase employment rates, lengthen the employment years of this still working, or raise taxes on the working population.
- Hence there will be fewer funds that can be spent on managing the costs of the Swedish healthcare system.
11
Q
High immigration unemployment rates in Sweden
A
- Sweden has one of the larger immigrant populations among the European countries.
- There are challenges in integrating immigrants into the workforce, which widens the income gap between them and other citizens.
- One challenge is the mismatch between skills and jobs. Immigrants may not have received educational opportunities in their home countries, leaving them unable to take up unfilled jobs in Sweden. This has resulted in high unemployment for low-skilled workers and immigrants.
- The second challenge is the difficulty in assessing skills. If an immigrant’s training experience was not in Sweden, employers have difficulties assessing their actual competency. The processing time for foreign qualifications is long. These have resulted in highly educated immigrants with foreign qualifications facing challenges in finding suitable jobs.
12
Q
Responses of Government: Singapore
A
- The shared-responsibility approach consists of many helping hands (individual, families, community groups and government) which work together to address and meet socio-economic issues and needs.
- Individuals play an important role in making the effort to support themselves and their family members.
- However, some individuals may not have enough resources to take care of themselves or their family members.
- Hence community groups and the government step in to support them.
- The government provide targeted assistance in the form of subsidies, financial assistance and skills training to increase their employability.
13
Q
Healthcare financing system in SG
A
- Multiple tiers of protection
1. The first tier of protection is provided by heavy government subsidies of up to 80% of the total bill in acute hospital wards, which all Singaporeans can access.
2. The second tier if protection is through insurance, in the form of MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans. Medishield Life is a health insurance plan for all Singaporeans to help pay for the large hospitalization bills, for life.
3. The third tier of protection is provided by Medisave, a compulsory medical savings account to help you pay for your medical expenses.
4. The last tier of protection is Medifund, for patients who are not able to pay despite the support of the first to third tier. Medifund is an **endowment fund that acts as a safety net for needy Singaporeans who cannot afford to pay their medical bills even after heavy subsidies, MediShield Life and Medisave. **
14
Q
Preschool Subsidies in SG
A
- Ensure that all children have access to quality education for a good start in life, regardless of their family background.
- While parents pay for preschool fees, government subsidies across all eligible income tiers have increased.
- From Jan 2020, lower-income families earning $3,000 or less per month pay $3 per month at preschool centres under the Anchor Operator Scheme funded by the government.
15
Q
Public Housing Subsidies in SG
A
- Public housing subsidies which are provided to ensure affordable housing opportunities for Singaporeans.
- While Singaporeans pay for their home purchase in cash or with their CPF savings, the government has put into place various housing grant and rental housing schemes to ensure that housing opportunities are kept affordable for Singaporeans.
- This support provides targeted support to protect their needs and enable them to experience social mobility.
- This complements individual, family and community efforts to help meet the needs of society.
