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The unrealized promise of integrated long-term care in Iceland: Ministerial fragmentation and political resistance analysed through historical institutionalism and power resource theory

Snorradóttir Wium, Guðrún Friða LU (2025) WPMM43 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Iceland's long-term care system faces significant challenges, marked by persistent fragmentation between health and social care sectors. Despite a rapidly aging population and repeated calls for reform, a major policy shift towards full integration, similar in impact to the foundational 1983 Act on the Affairs of the Elderly which held the promise of integration, has not materialized.
This research examined the roots of Iceland's persistent long-term care fragmentation through a single historical case study of the country, tracing the influence of past institutional decisions and political dynamics through historical institutionalism and power resource theory.
The research found that ministerial fragmentation and partisanism has... (More)
Iceland's long-term care system faces significant challenges, marked by persistent fragmentation between health and social care sectors. Despite a rapidly aging population and repeated calls for reform, a major policy shift towards full integration, similar in impact to the foundational 1983 Act on the Affairs of the Elderly which held the promise of integration, has not materialized.
This research examined the roots of Iceland's persistent long-term care fragmentation through a single historical case study of the country, tracing the influence of past institutional decisions and political dynamics through historical institutionalism and power resource theory.
The research found that ministerial fragmentation and partisanism has influenced the persistent fragmentation of Iceland’s LTC system between health and social care responsibilities. Left-leaning governments tended to support integration, while right-of-centre governments sustained institutional divides, showing how political power distribution shaped both the persistence and direction of fragmentation. This revealed that early structural choices, political contestation and power dynamics shaped Iceland's LTC system, explaining why the 1983 Act's integration promise remains unrealized. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Snorradóttir Wium, Guðrún Friða LU
supervisor
organization
course
WPMM43 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
long-term care, Iceland, fragmentation, power resource theory, historical institutionalism
language
English
id
9191243
date added to LUP
2025-08-08 13:25:56
date last changed
2025-08-08 13:25:56
@misc{9191243,
  abstract     = {{Iceland's long-term care system faces significant challenges, marked by persistent fragmentation between health and social care sectors. Despite a rapidly aging population and repeated calls for reform, a major policy shift towards full integration, similar in impact to the foundational 1983 Act on the Affairs of the Elderly which held the promise of integration, has not materialized.
	This research examined the roots of Iceland's persistent long-term care fragmentation through a single historical case study of the country, tracing the influence of past institutional decisions and political dynamics through historical institutionalism and power resource theory. 
The research found that ministerial fragmentation and partisanism has influenced the persistent fragmentation of Iceland’s LTC system between health and social care responsibilities. Left-leaning governments tended to support integration, while right-of-centre governments sustained institutional divides, showing how political power distribution shaped both the persistence and direction of fragmentation. This revealed that early structural choices, political contestation and power dynamics shaped Iceland's LTC system, explaining why the 1983 Act's integration promise remains unrealized.}},
  author       = {{Snorradóttir Wium, Guðrún Friða}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The unrealized promise of integrated long-term care in Iceland: Ministerial fragmentation and political resistance analysed through historical institutionalism and power resource theory}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}