Vulnerability and deviance: individual reasoning about the proposal to ban begging in Sweden

Abstract

This article situates the phenomenon of visible begging in the context of the welfare state, exploring the relationship between welfare institutions and social marginalisation. Combining survey data with 26 interviews, the article explores what Swedes think about the proposal to ban begging. The results confirm earlier studies emphasising the norms of egalitarianism and insider privilege in universal welfare states. However, the results identify pragmatism, non-materialist egalitarianism, and non-coercion as complementary frames in individual reasoning about begging. Finally, the results indicate a blurred distinction between vulnerability and deviance in reasoning about begging, nuancing previous ideas about social policy preferences.