Long-Term Effects of the Early Welfare State

Basic elements of the Swedish welfare state appeared already during the 1920s and 1930s. Yet, our knowledge about the influence the appearance of these welfare reforms has had on people's lives is limited. Using historical information on when, where and how various reforms were implemented is a way for us to generate unique knowledge about the long-term effects on health and welfare. Was there institutional trust for the welfare services that were introduced? What was the effect of the introduction of free care for infants on the health of the children, on their education and on their labor-market outcomes later in life? How did these reforms influence the behavior and investment of parents into their children? The project aims at identifying causal relationships.