Fattigdomsfällan

– överskuldsättning som socialt problem

Abstract

The Poverty Trap - Over-indebtedness as a Social Problem

Despite the escalation of debt problems in society, over-indebtedness receives limited attention in Swedish social work. This is probably due to the fact that over-indebtedness is seen as a private economic matter rather than a social problem. The article addresses perspectives concerning the financialisation of everyday life and the credit and consumer society and draws on examples from interviews with young adults living with high levels of debt. The analysis is based on three arguments and aims to show that over-indebtedness must be understood as a social problem. The first argument establishes that over-indebtedness is a phenomenon of social origin. The second argument is based on the fact that over-indebtedness arises from social problems, and the third argument is based on the fact that over-indebtedness leads to social problems. In particular, over-indebtedness creates a distinctive form of poverty.