Shaping Justice : Defining the disability benefit category in Swedish social policy

Abstract: This thesis is about what qualifies to be characterised as disability in Swedish social security legislation and which principles are used to decide who is entitled to social security benefit as disabled. The thesis brings into focus which definitions of needs and criteria that are found 'worthy' and acceptable to include in a disability category in Swedish social policy. In other words are social classifications, public considerations about the categorising in focus. Through empirical 'case' analyses this thesis shows that very different conclusions can demark a disability category in welfare policy. The analysis uncovers that the definitions of this category are not always as clear or sharp in Swedish social policy. Formal administrative principles and different underlying conceptions define a disability category in particular ways that again brings different outcomes and demarcation lines of this category in Swedish welfare policy. The definition of a disability category is an outcome of contextual social processes and interpretations. Disability as social political and administrative category is a result of particular social constructs and based on defined normative premises and cultural interpretations. The thesis presents which principles and criteria are used to distinguish worthiness to a category of disability and illustrate how these categorising rely on certain understandings of the welfare politics for persons with disabilities. The thesis demonstrates that disability in social policy is a changeable category, and that changing criteria are used to determine eligibility. The definition of disability is an outcome of cultural consensus made between contradictory principles for distribution social justice in welfare policy to persons with disabilities.