Maria Ohisalo: Crumbs at the bottom of the society – food aid at challenging times. Presentation at Poverty Group, Department of Social Policy & Intervention, University of Oxford 9.5.2016.

1. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
A brief overview to the topic & the thesis
Poverty Group, Department of Social Policy & Intervention, University of Oxford, 9th May
Maria Ohisalo
Crumbs at the bottom of the society –
food aid at challenging times

2. UEF // University of Eastern Finland 11.5.2016Maria Ohisalo 2
A brief overview to the topic & the thesis
•About the work in Finland
•The topic
•The thesis
•Discussion, thoughts, questions etc

3. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
About the work in Finland
•Working on my thesis since 2013 in different projects:
– on organisation of food aid in Finland (N=171+N=20+photos)
– on food aid recipients’ SWB at Finnish food aid (N=3474)
– same collection also in Athens (N=500), Vilnius (N=558), Budapest (N=200)
– + Chicago (StreetWise)
– now a project where social scientists, professional (+amateur)
photographers and journalists are combining their strengths (is Finland
dividing, is inequality growing?)
•Thesis funding from different foundations
•Professors Juho Saari and Mikko Niemelä as supervisors
– Saari has published a lot on welfare state, EU social policy, poverty
– Niemelä on poverty, social security, welfare attitudes

4. UEF // University of Eastern Finland 11.5.2016Name of the presentation / Author 4
Start slide with image, image size 230 x 68mm
The topic
Photo: Maria Ohisalo

5. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Why is there a need to study food aid in a welfare
state?
1. According to international comparisons Finland does well,
according to major statistics majority of Finns do better than ever
before
– this is only one picture
2. The least well-off people of the welfare state are not shown in all
surveys
– Hard-to-survey -populations
3. Food aid as a breadline/food bank form has existed since the 1990’s
recession
– never went “off fashion”
– not “official help”, responsibility on the 3rd sector (NGO’s, Churches etc.)

6. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Hard-to-survey (H2S)-populations
•Roger Tourangeau (2014):
Hard-to-survey populations are those that create problems for one or
more key survey operations
– Hard-to-sample (rare populations with no population - specific frame)
– Hard-to-identify (based on hidden or stigmatizing characteristics)
– Hard-to-find or contact (mobile populations; pop’s with access issues)
– Hard-to-persuade (resistant; alienated)
– Hard-to-interview (language barriers)

7. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Finnish Constitution on basic and minimum
social security (Kela 2015; Tuori 2004)
• There is a legislative basis for the definitions of basic and minimum social security:
• According to the Constitution, Subsection 1, anyone who is not able to obtain the security
needed for a life of dignity is entitled to necessary income and care, i.e., minimum social
security.
– Guaranteeing minimum social security requires case-by-case means-testing and is
guaranteed by last resort social assistance
• The Constitution (Section 19, Subsection 2) provides everyone with the right to basic social
security, i.e., security of basic subsistence during unemployment, sickness, incapacity for work
and old age, as well as due to the birth of a child or the loss of a caretaker.
• The interpretation of this statute has been that basic subsistence must be guaranteed in these
life situations without income- or means-testing.
– Fighting the social risks
• A general interpretation is that the level of basic social security must be higher than the level
of minimum social security outlined in Section 19 Subsection 1.

8. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
However…
11.5.2016Maria Ohisalo 8
• The ”poor aid” the
universal welfare state was
to fight against, still exists
• No-one measures (i.e.
knows) the quantity,
quality of food aid, the
amount of food aid
recipients, their well-being
• Depoliticization of the
topic
• not a public responsibilityPhoto: Tuomo Laihiala

9. UEF // University of Eastern Finland 11.5.2016Esityksen nimi / Tekijä 9
•Finnish food aid actors
– roughly 400 around the country
•soup kitchens
– (warm/cheap meals)
•breadlines
•food banks
•surplus food store (new)
•warm meals distributed
•other new innovations
•+ vouchers to stores from social
work, deaconess work
Picture: Ohisalo et al. 2013

10. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Organization of food aid in Finland
Picture: Ohisalo 2016

11. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
The thesis
•Field experiment – survey (sample N=3474, 11 municipal., 7 parishes)
•Aswers:
•1. What is a 2010’s breadline in a welfare state? (Field)
•2. How are the people dependent on food aid doing (also compared to
larger society, other disadvantaged groups, other countries? (People)
– A comparative welfare state aspect: three welfare state models, how is
food aid receivers’ SWB? Any differences between different welfare state
models (Nordic, Mediterranean, Post-communist)?
– Life satisfaction, trust, coping, shame, use of services & benefits etc. asked

12. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
The thesis
•1. article: Ohisalo Maria. 2013. The effect of the EU-food programme
to the establishment of food aid in Finland. The well-being of the
worst off in Finland (edit.) Mikko Niemelä Mikko & Juho Saari.
(Finnish)
•2. article: Ohisalo, Maria, Laihiala Tuomo & Saari, Juho. 2015. The
worst off in the middle of a well-being society: Coping and well-
being of the people going to breadlines and needle-exchange points.
Finnish Journal of Theology. (Finnish)

13. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
The thesis
•3. article: Ohisalo, Maria, Laihiala, Tuomo & Saari, Juho. 2015.
Dimensions and accumulation of disadvantages in Finnish
breadlines. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka (Society & Politics) Journal.
(Finnish)
•4. article: Ohisalo, Maria, Laihiala, Tuomo, Kouvo, Antti, Kahma, Nina
& Saari, Juho. 2015. Subjective well-being at the Finnish, Greek and
Lithuanian capitals’ breadlines. (In the making, in English)
•+summary

14. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Poverty in Finland – some examples
•Prof. Saari: 100 000 people differ from the ”well-off”/well-being
majority on their: quality of life, way of life & standard of living
•At-risk-of-poverty (household's disposable monetary income per
consumption unit is below 60% of the national median income)
– does not tell anything about subjective well-being
– does not picture the diversity of poverty in the least well-off groups

15. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Number of persons at-risk-of-poverty in different sections of the at-risk-of-
poverty distribution by the person's age in 2013 (Statistics Finland 2015)
(population of Finland in 2013: 5 451 270)
11/05/2016Name of the presentation / Author 15
Income below
40% of median
Income 40% to
49% of median
Income 50% to
49% of median
All persons at-
risk-of-poverty
All persons 130 000 170 000 390 000 690 000
Aged 0 to 17 18 000 23 000 77 000 118 000
Aged 18 to 24 36 000 32 000 45 000 114 000
Aged 25 to 34 23 000 27 000 40 000 90 000
Aged 35 to 49 16 000 24 000 44 000 85 000
Aged 50 to 64 29 000 29 000 59 000 117 000
Aged 65 to 74 .. 11 000 46 000 58 000
Aged 75 or over .. 24 000 79 000 108 000

16. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Example: employment status (%) (Ohisalo & Saari 2014)
6.3
8.2
6.6
5.0
9.2
10.1
7.7
5.8
5.4
3.9
6.2
10.2
34.7
28.9
33.3
43.9
38.0
43.8
54.7
39.4
42.8
33.8
32.0
36.3
46.8
47.9
46.0
38.3
36.0
34.4
32.6
45.2
23.9
28.5
51.5
37.6
3.4
7.1
4.6
3.3
9.9
5.9
2.0
1.9
11.6
18.9
1.0
4.6
6.6
3.6
6.9
6.7
5.0
4.2
2.3
5.2
4.3
10.3
4.1
6.9
2.1
4.3
2.6
2.8
2.0
1.7
0.7
2.6
12.0
4.6
5.2
4.6
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Helsinki
Espoo
Tampere
Vantaa
Turku
Jyväskylä
Kuopio
Lahti
Pori
Mikkeli
Porvoo
EU-ruoka
At home Pensioner Unemployed or laid off Student Working fixed term or part-time Working permanently

17. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Example: hunger (%) (Ohisalo & Saari 2014)
45.0
42.1
44.9
43.0
37.4
51.6
43.6
40.6
42.0
57.8
35.4
44.3
29.3
35.5
35.1
33.1
39.1
29.2
36.7
32.3
32.1
26.3
37.4
37.0
17.4
19.0
15.4
14.0
15.2
12.8
13.5
15.8
13.9
10.7
21.2
15.5
8.3
3.4
4.6
9.9
8.3
6.4
6.2
11.3
12.0
5.2
6.1
3.3
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Helsinki
Espoo
Tampere
Vantaa
Turku
Jyväskylä
Kuopio
Lahti
Pori
Mikkeli
Porvoo
EU-ruoka
Very rarely Sometimes Quite often Constantly

18. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Example: Quality of life compared to other groups: 4-1: constantly, quite
often, sometimes, very rarely
(Ohisalo et al. 2015)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Physical health
Mental health
Life satisfaction
Standard of living
Finns in general Food aid Needle-exchange

19. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Example: Social shame in three EU-capitals: (Ohisalo et al. 2016)
I don’t want my neighbours or relatives to see me getting food aid.
32.4
39.6
55.6
12.0
6.1
5.2
13.8
19.4
9.8
18.5
11.6
8.4
23.3
23.4
21.0
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Helsinki district
Vilnius
Athens
Fully disagree Partly disagree Neither agree nor disagree Partly agree Fully agree

20. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Example: in three EU-capitals: I feel disadvantaged (Ohisalo et al. 2016)
13.1
18.6
44.4
14.2
10
4.6
18.4
24.7
5.8
31.3
24.7
16
23.1
22
29.2
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Helsinki district
Vilnius
Athens
Fully disagree Partly disagree Neither agree nor disagree Partly agree Fully agree

21. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
In the making (Ohisalo et al. 2016) …
• Levels of SWB are different i.e.:
– Athens: highest amount of people satisfied with mental and physical health, as well
as depressed and lonely
– Helsinki: highest life satisfaction but highest amount of people feeling
disadvantaged
– Vilnius: lowest satisfaction on standard of living and health
• The effect of socio-economic background:
– In Helsinki well-being is relatively equally distributed by age
– In Vilnius and Athens well-being decreases by age
– In Vilnius living alone decreases well-being the most
– In Helsinki there is a remarkable gender gap especially in health

22. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Discussion, thoughts, questions etc.
Risks-based social security leaking to last-resort social security
Housing costs especially in larger cities
Lack of information, social security ”jungle”, shame etc. leading to underuse of benefits

23. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
References
• Kela (2015) The second expert group for evaluation of the adequacy of basic social security. Adequacy of
basic social security in Finland 2011–2015. KELA RESEARCH DEPARTMENT:
https://www.julkari.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/126908/WorkingPapers80%20%281%29.pdf?sequence=1
• Ohisalo, Maria, Eskelinen, Niko, Laine, Jonna, Kainulainen, Sakari & Saari, Juho: Avun tilkkutäkki –
suomalaisen ruoka-apukentän monimuotoisuus. Espoo: Raha-automaattiyhdistys, avustusosaston julkaisuja,
2013. https://www.ray.fi/sites/default/files/emmi_mediabank/Raportti_Avun_tilkkutakki_2014.pdf
• Ohisalo, Maria, Laihiala Tuomo & Saari, Juho (2015) The worst off in the middle of a well-being society:
Coping and well-being of the people going to breadlines and needle-exchange points. Finnish Journal of
Theology.
• Ohisalo, Maria & Saari, Juho (toim.) (2014) Kuka seisoo leipäjonossa? Ruoka-apu 2010-luvun Suomessa.
Helsinki: Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiö, 2014. http://www.kaks.fi/sites/default/files/TutkJulk_83_net.pdf
• Roger Tourangeau (2014) Defining and Measuring Hard-to-Survey Populations. 2014 FCSM Statistical Policy
Seminar: http://www.copafs.org/UserFiles/file/2014fcsm/01_TourangeauFCSM%202014.pdf
• Statistics Finland (2015) Risk of poverty especially burdens young adults
http://www.stat.fi/til/tjt/2013/01/tjt_2013_01_2015-03-20_tie_001_en.html
• Tuori, Kaarlo (2014) Sosiaalioikeus. Helsinki: WSOY.

24. Thank you!
Contact: maria.ohisalo@uef.fi