[Pophealth] Last day! Finnish Baby Box in the USA, Canada, and UK.

[Dennis Raphael]

Last day for a free download!

A Critical Analysis of The Finnish Baby Box’s Journey into the Liberal Welfare State: Implications for Progressive Public Policymaking 

https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1gpxqhNfKzQb~

Abstract
For over 80 years the Finnish state has provided expectant mothers with a cardboard box containing an extensive collection of clothing, bathing products for the baby, nappies, bedding and a small mattress. Numerous jurisdictions have implemented it in some form. We investigated through a critical case study methodology whether its translation into the liberal welfare states of Canada, UK, and USA experienced message distortion (the box as a means of preventing SIDS), commercialization, watering down of content; and separation from the complex of Finnish welfare state policies that support families with children. We find that only Scotland and Wales recognized the decommodification and equity roles played by the baby box. This study identified numerous barriers to building progressive public policy in Canada, UK, and USA: the structures and processes of the liberal welfare state, commercial interests that skew public policymaking and media logic that limits news reporting to the concrete and simple, eschewing complex analysis.