Tiggeri - En undersökning om hur tiggeri konstrueras som ett socialt problem.

Sammanfattning: Begging - A study about how begging is constructed as a social problem. The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze how ‘begging’ is constructed as a social problem in the Swedish society. According to the social constructivism perspective, our understanding of a social problem is constructed through a collective process. Therefore I chose to analyze the claims-making activity in the construction of ‘begging’ as a social problem. My further questions of study were: How are the beggars constructed? How are the reasons described for why begging is perceived as a social problem? What measures are presented to counter begging? The empirical material consisted of six semi-structured interviews with representatives from political parties, human services organizations and the police. They can be seen as claims-makers in the process of constructing begging as a social problem because of their participation in the debate about how begging should be defined and understood. They also have the possibility to make society aware of social problems and the ability to implement changes in the society. The claims-makers seemed to construct begging as a social problem by relaying on ‘cultural worries’ and ‘humanitarian moral’. The claims-makers also used ‘rational rhetoric’ and concepts of ‘categorizations’ to construct begging as a social problem. The beggars were constructed as foreigners that came to Sweden with the agenda to earn a living through begging. The Swedish residents don’t have to beg due to the well-functioning social services in the country. The claims-makers described begging unworthy for the beggars and thereby begging was perceived as a social problem. The claims-makers argued that beggars possibly are victims of trafficking or that there are some sorts of organizations who direct and organize the beggars seen on the streets. Through these statements begging was constructed to be perceived as a social problem. The claims-makers distinguished begging as a social problem from other social problems such as homelessness and poverty. The measures presented in this study to counter begging were primarily prevention through better social services although the claims-makers expressed that lack of social services wasn’t the reason why people begged. Another presented measure to counter begging was through control by law. The construction of begging as a social problem that elicited in this study could be historically compared. The claim-makers constructed begging as a social problem in nearly the same way as begging was described through the 16th and 17th century in Sweden.