Framing Child Poverty in Finland as a “Wicked Problem”

Abstract

Why is Finland failing to adequately address the issue of child poverty? Approximately 150,000 children are currently “at risk of poverty.” As data on at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) and financial assistance over a 30-year period illustrates, numbers, in percentage terms, remain fairly constant despite continuing “political” recognition of the problem. Child poverty thus seemingly presents as a classic “wicked problem” particularly in the emerging social space that constitutes UN Sustainable Development Goal implementation. In line with “wickedness theory,” the chapter discusses the various technical and value-based possibilities for persistent policy failure around child poverty which sees increasing polarization between the majority and some increasingly marginalized social groups such as single parent and immigrant families. While definitive explanations for the persistence of child poverty in a Nordic welfare state such as Finland remain elusive, the Finnish experience suggests that interorganizational conflicts, siloed-thinking, and outdated implementation in relation to the benefits system represent key hindrances to better policymaking and thus to more equitable policy outcomes.

Citation

Smith, C.J., Virtanen, P., Hiilamo, A. and Ristikari, T. (2024), "Framing Child Poverty in Finland as a “Wicked Problem”", Lippi, A. and Tsekos, T.N. (Ed.) Policy Capacity, Design and the Sustainable Development Goals, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 27-48. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-686-320241003