Volume 21, Issue 82 (11-2021)
refahj 2021, 21(82): 45-94 |
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Araste R, Javaheri F, Kazemipour S. (2021). A Comparative Study of Aging Support Policies in Iran and Sweden. refahj. 21(82), 45-94.
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3831-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3831-en.html
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Introduction: Today, with the increase in the number of the elderly and the increase in life expectancy, the issue of aging has become one of the most important research topics in academia and policy-making. In policy-making, more emphasis is placed on well-being and the risks involved in old age, especially for marginalized groups, and the proper orientation of welfare programs and interventions. Developing and implementing policies and programs in the field of successful and healthy aging causes not only people to live longer, but also this long life is associated with better health and quality of life for them. Aging, according to the World Health Organization, is over the age of sixty-five. Aging is a part of the natural process of human life and time, physical illnesses, mental problems, and environmental conditions are among the factors that are effective in this process. To understand the situation of aging policies in Iran, a comparative comparison with the aging policies of a developed country can be helpful. Sweden, as a highly developed country facing an aging crisis, could be a good choice for this comparison; because on the one hand, this country is in a very favorable situation in terms of welfare indicators and can be an ideal example in this field. On the other hand, the socialist economy of Sweden and its governmental approach can be a good option to compare with the state economy of Iran. The present study aims to study the policies of the elderly in Iran and Sweden and examine them with a comparative method, and finally, by extracting several key axes, explanation of the current situation of these policies would be obtained.
Method: In the present study, because of the purpose of studying and comparing policies, programs and measures taken in the field of aging for both Iran and Sweden, a comparative approach has been used. The comparative method, which is based on comparison to understand similarities and differences, is one of the oldest methods in social studies. In the social sciences, the comparative method is defined as a method that systematically tries to compare social realities with each other by providing empirical evidence. In the first stage, the documents of each country in the field of social, cultural, and welfare support were presented, with a precise mention of the sources used. In the second stage, the content of aging policies related to each country separately, and according to the theoretical framework of the research, was analyzed and critically examined and the strengths and weaknesses of each policy and policies were identified. The third stage deals with the comparative comparison of aging policies in the selected countries. In this regard, initially, according to the most common concepts, materials, clauses, and policies presented in the aging policies of the countries, four main axes for comparative comparison of policies were extracted. These four axes were: policies based on government support (centralized)/private (decentralized), policies based on material/spiritual (cultural) support, policies based on passivity/active aging, and policies based on socialism/person-centered. Finally, a component-based comparison was performed based on these four axes between the selected countries. In the fourth and final stage, an attempt was made to provide a proposed model and approach for an alternative socio-cultural policy of age in Iran. This model was extracted, presented, and described according to the aforementioned four axes, and considering the weaknesses in the current aging policies in Iran.
Findings: The results of the analysis showed that the aging policies of the two countries are influenced by the type of welfare system of that country and in the axis of public/private support; it has a more governmental approach. A comparison of the two countries’ aging policies in the second axis, i.e., the economic/cultural nature of the support, also indicated that the support of the two countries has an economic approach. The third axis of comparison was the clean support of the elderly based on passivity/intervention. In this regard, aging policies in the two countries have generally been based on the passivity of the elderly. The fourth axis of comparison also refers to supports based on socialism/individualism. In this axis, there is a significant difference between the two countries. In Iran, depending on the type of existing welfare system, support has fewer socialist practices; aging policies are based more on the protection of the elderly than on the social formation of the elderly. In Sweden, on the other hand, significant aspects of socialism can be seen in the programs.
Table: Summarizing the results of comparing the two countries in terms of four criteria
Discussion: It should be noted that the similarity in the general practice of aging policies in Iran and Sweden in three of the four axes does not mean equal success in implementing these policies and achieving an equal level of welfare in the field of aging; in a way, the implementation of these policies in Sweden has been much more targeted and has brought a high level of public welfare to the elderly. The reason for the significant similarity in the general lines of aging policies in Iran and Sweden can be attributed to the political systems of the two countries, which firstly pay special attention to justice-oriented discourse, and secondly, statehood is the dominant aspect of their policies. In general, according to the results of comparing policies, it should be concluded that the issues and challenges of aging in Iran are more related to the implementation of policies than to the nature of policies because the adoption of similar policies in Sweden has been able to bring high and desirable public welfare for the elderly. The present study sought to compare the policies of the elderly in Iran as a developing country with the policies of the elderly in Sweden as a developed society that is in a high position in terms of welfare and human indicators. For this purpose, the most important upstream documents and aging policies of the two countries were read critically. Then, by extracting four key axes in the field of aging policy, the policies of the two countries in these axes were compared with one another.
Ethical considerations
Contribution of authors:
All authors have contributed to this article.
Funds:
No direct financial support has been received for the publication of this article from any institution or organization.
Conflict of interest:
This article does not overlap with other published works by the authors.
Adherence to the principles of research ethics:
In this article, all rights related to research ethics have been observed.
Introduction: Today, with the increase in the number of the elderly and the increase in life expectancy, the issue of aging has become one of the most important research topics in academia and policy-making. In policy-making, more emphasis is placed on well-being and the risks involved in old age, especially for marginalized groups, and the proper orientation of welfare programs and interventions. Developing and implementing policies and programs in the field of successful and healthy aging causes not only people to live longer, but also this long life is associated with better health and quality of life for them. Aging, according to the World Health Organization, is over the age of sixty-five. Aging is a part of the natural process of human life and time, physical illnesses, mental problems, and environmental conditions are among the factors that are effective in this process. To understand the situation of aging policies in Iran, a comparative comparison with the aging policies of a developed country can be helpful. Sweden, as a highly developed country facing an aging crisis, could be a good choice for this comparison; because on the one hand, this country is in a very favorable situation in terms of welfare indicators and can be an ideal example in this field. On the other hand, the socialist economy of Sweden and its governmental approach can be a good option to compare with the state economy of Iran. The present study aims to study the policies of the elderly in Iran and Sweden and examine them with a comparative method, and finally, by extracting several key axes, explanation of the current situation of these policies would be obtained.
Method: In the present study, because of the purpose of studying and comparing policies, programs and measures taken in the field of aging for both Iran and Sweden, a comparative approach has been used. The comparative method, which is based on comparison to understand similarities and differences, is one of the oldest methods in social studies. In the social sciences, the comparative method is defined as a method that systematically tries to compare social realities with each other by providing empirical evidence. In the first stage, the documents of each country in the field of social, cultural, and welfare support were presented, with a precise mention of the sources used. In the second stage, the content of aging policies related to each country separately, and according to the theoretical framework of the research, was analyzed and critically examined and the strengths and weaknesses of each policy and policies were identified. The third stage deals with the comparative comparison of aging policies in the selected countries. In this regard, initially, according to the most common concepts, materials, clauses, and policies presented in the aging policies of the countries, four main axes for comparative comparison of policies were extracted. These four axes were: policies based on government support (centralized)/private (decentralized), policies based on material/spiritual (cultural) support, policies based on passivity/active aging, and policies based on socialism/person-centered. Finally, a component-based comparison was performed based on these four axes between the selected countries. In the fourth and final stage, an attempt was made to provide a proposed model and approach for an alternative socio-cultural policy of age in Iran. This model was extracted, presented, and described according to the aforementioned four axes, and considering the weaknesses in the current aging policies in Iran.
Findings: The results of the analysis showed that the aging policies of the two countries are influenced by the type of welfare system of that country and in the axis of public/private support; it has a more governmental approach. A comparison of the two countries’ aging policies in the second axis, i.e., the economic/cultural nature of the support, also indicated that the support of the two countries has an economic approach. The third axis of comparison was the clean support of the elderly based on passivity/intervention. In this regard, aging policies in the two countries have generally been based on the passivity of the elderly. The fourth axis of comparison also refers to supports based on socialism/individualism. In this axis, there is a significant difference between the two countries. In Iran, depending on the type of existing welfare system, support has fewer socialist practices; aging policies are based more on the protection of the elderly than on the social formation of the elderly. In Sweden, on the other hand, significant aspects of socialism can be seen in the programs.
Table: Summarizing the results of comparing the two countries in terms of four criteria
| Country / Criterion | Public / private supports |
Economic / cultural support | Passivity-based support/intervention for the elderly | Supports based on socialism/individualism |
| Iran (Informal security system) |
Support generally by government agencies / under direct government action / Support is generally top-down, mandated, and bureaucratic. | It generally focuses on Economic support/policies related to spiritual and cultural support have a smaller share | Policies are generally delegated from top to bottom, grammatical and one-sided, and rarely involve the intervention of the elderly. Less attention has been paid to the personal needs of the elderly, their views, their involvement, efforts to activate and identify them, and so on. | Supports have less socialist practices / Aging policies are more based on supporting the elderly than socializing the elderly |
| Sweden (Social Democratic) |
Supports are generally governmental and quasi-governmental | Most policies focus on Economic support for the elderly / Spiritual and cultural support is rarely considered | Most programs and plans are based on passivity and non-intervention of the elderly / Policies are generally dictated from above and less with partial intervention to the elderly | Dimensions aspects of socialism can be seen in the programs |
Discussion: It should be noted that the similarity in the general practice of aging policies in Iran and Sweden in three of the four axes does not mean equal success in implementing these policies and achieving an equal level of welfare in the field of aging; in a way, the implementation of these policies in Sweden has been much more targeted and has brought a high level of public welfare to the elderly. The reason for the significant similarity in the general lines of aging policies in Iran and Sweden can be attributed to the political systems of the two countries, which firstly pay special attention to justice-oriented discourse, and secondly, statehood is the dominant aspect of their policies. In general, according to the results of comparing policies, it should be concluded that the issues and challenges of aging in Iran are more related to the implementation of policies than to the nature of policies because the adoption of similar policies in Sweden has been able to bring high and desirable public welfare for the elderly. The present study sought to compare the policies of the elderly in Iran as a developing country with the policies of the elderly in Sweden as a developed society that is in a high position in terms of welfare and human indicators. For this purpose, the most important upstream documents and aging policies of the two countries were read critically. Then, by extracting four key axes in the field of aging policy, the policies of the two countries in these axes were compared with one another.
Ethical considerations
Contribution of authors:
All authors have contributed to this article.
Funds:
No direct financial support has been received for the publication of this article from any institution or organization.
Conflict of interest:
This article does not overlap with other published works by the authors.
Adherence to the principles of research ethics:
In this article, all rights related to research ethics have been observed.
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2021/01/16 | Accepted: 2021/07/22 | Published: 2021/11/23
Received: 2021/01/16 | Accepted: 2021/07/22 | Published: 2021/11/23
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