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"Det handlar om drivkrafter, men det handlar också om moral" - en kritisk diskursanalys av konstruktionen av bidragstagaren

Fredriksson, Julia LU (2024) SOPB63 20232
School of Social Work
Abstract
This paper examines how welfare recipients are portrayed in policy documents and communications surrounding the proposal for a subsidy cap presented in the Tidö Agreement (Tidöavtalet) and how this can be understood in a historical and contemporary context. Using Fairclough's critical discourse analysis, documents and press events presenting the proposal have been examined, focusing on identifying constructions of the image of welfare recipients. The analysis shows that welfare recipients are portrayed as passive individuals who lack incentives to take up paid work and ultimately threaten to undermine the welfare system. This portrayal pits those who depend on benefits for their livelihood against those who work, which can increase... (More)
This paper examines how welfare recipients are portrayed in policy documents and communications surrounding the proposal for a subsidy cap presented in the Tidö Agreement (Tidöavtalet) and how this can be understood in a historical and contemporary context. Using Fairclough's critical discourse analysis, documents and press events presenting the proposal have been examined, focusing on identifying constructions of the image of welfare recipients. The analysis shows that welfare recipients are portrayed as passive individuals who lack incentives to take up paid work and ultimately threaten to undermine the welfare system. This portrayal pits those who depend on benefits for their livelihood against those who work, which can increase societal polarization. In addition, a division is made between worthy and unworthy recipients, which risks increasing the exclusion and stigmatization of benefit recipients. The analysis shows that the discourses put forward have historical roots and that those who cannot support themselves are described in similar ways today as they have been for centuries. The work can help to understand how the discursive platform of those in power can contribute to the situation of marginalized groups through their portrayal and how this can be understood in the light of the contemporary context. (Less)
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author
Fredriksson, Julia LU
supervisor
organization
course
SOPB63 20232
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
subsidy cap, welfare, welfare recipients, discourse, critical discourse analysis, construction, ideology
language
Swedish
id
9172371
date added to LUP
2024-08-26 10:50:54
date last changed
2024-08-26 10:50:54
@misc{9172371,
  abstract     = {{This paper examines how welfare recipients are portrayed in policy documents and communications surrounding the proposal for a subsidy cap presented in the Tidö Agreement (Tidöavtalet) and how this can be understood in a historical and contemporary context. Using Fairclough's critical discourse analysis, documents and press events presenting the proposal have been examined, focusing on identifying constructions of the image of welfare recipients. The analysis shows that welfare recipients are portrayed as passive individuals who lack incentives to take up paid work and ultimately threaten to undermine the welfare system. This portrayal pits those who depend on benefits for their livelihood against those who work, which can increase societal polarization. In addition, a division is made between worthy and unworthy recipients, which risks increasing the exclusion and stigmatization of benefit recipients. The analysis shows that the discourses put forward have historical roots and that those who cannot support themselves are described in similar ways today as they have been for centuries. The work can help to understand how the discursive platform of those in power can contribute to the situation of marginalized groups through their portrayal and how this can be understood in the light of the contemporary context.}},
  author       = {{Fredriksson, Julia}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{"Det handlar om drivkrafter, men det handlar också om moral" - en kritisk diskursanalys av konstruktionen av bidragstagaren}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}