Active Citizenship in Scandinavian Schools and Nursing Homes

This chapter explores how the users of services funded by the public sector are affected by the different providers in the welfare mix. The main focus is on differences in terms of active citizenship: the ability for users to take control over their own lives when they are dependent on services. The inferences are based on qualitative studies in 27 institutions in seven municipalities in three Scandinavian countries. This chapter identifies small differences between nursing homes across both institutional sectors and countries. The user experience concerning active citizenship is remarkably consistent. In the school sector, there is more variation, especially between the institutional sectors. The nonprofit schools stand out as enhancing active citizenship. To explain these differences, the chapter shows how administrative freedom and user choice are decisive factors for establishing distinctiveness for public, for-profit and nonprofit institutions.