Sweden's Welfare State

Sweden's Welfare State

Author: Mr.Subhash Madhav Thakur

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2003-05-01

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 9781589061583

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Sweden has long been viewed as epitomizing a particular approach to economic and social policy. To its advocates, the Swedish welfare state builds on a strong social consensus favoring extensive state intervention to ensure a high quality of life for all Swedes. To its critics, the Swedish system is marked by excessive government intervention and attendant inefficiencies. These contrasting views are captured in imagery used by Prime Minister Göran Persson: "Think of a bumblebee. With its overly heavy body and little wings, supposedly it should not be able to fly--but it does." The Swedish welfare state is the bumblebee that has managed to fly. This book draws on many years of IMF surveillance and policy advice to explain how it has done so, to assess the challenges that the Swedish model faces in the new century, to propose a strategy for dealing with those challenges, and to draw lessons for the many other countries that face similar challenges from globalization and demographics.


Book Synopsis Sweden's Welfare State by : Mr.Subhash Madhav Thakur

Download or read book Sweden's Welfare State written by Mr.Subhash Madhav Thakur and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2003-05-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sweden has long been viewed as epitomizing a particular approach to economic and social policy. To its advocates, the Swedish welfare state builds on a strong social consensus favoring extensive state intervention to ensure a high quality of life for all Swedes. To its critics, the Swedish system is marked by excessive government intervention and attendant inefficiencies. These contrasting views are captured in imagery used by Prime Minister Göran Persson: "Think of a bumblebee. With its overly heavy body and little wings, supposedly it should not be able to fly--but it does." The Swedish welfare state is the bumblebee that has managed to fly. This book draws on many years of IMF surveillance and policy advice to explain how it has done so, to assess the challenges that the Swedish model faces in the new century, to propose a strategy for dealing with those challenges, and to draw lessons for the many other countries that face similar challenges from globalization and demographics.


Challenges to the Swedish Welfare State

Challenges to the Swedish Welfare State

Author: Mr.Adam Bennett

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 1995-10-06

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 9781557754868

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Sweden's economy in the early 1990s has been characterized by a deep recession, high unemployment, a ballooning public sector budgete deficit, and a decline in the value of the currency- developments that have raised questions about the country's capacity to sustain its comprehensive welfare state. This study provides an analysis of recent economic developments in a longer-term context and assesses their implications for future policies.


Book Synopsis Challenges to the Swedish Welfare State by : Mr.Adam Bennett

Download or read book Challenges to the Swedish Welfare State written by Mr.Adam Bennett and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1995-10-06 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sweden's economy in the early 1990s has been characterized by a deep recession, high unemployment, a ballooning public sector budgete deficit, and a decline in the value of the currency- developments that have raised questions about the country's capacity to sustain its comprehensive welfare state. This study provides an analysis of recent economic developments in a longer-term context and assesses their implications for future policies.


Transformations of the Swedish Welfare State

Transformations of the Swedish Welfare State

Author: B. Larsson

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2012-01-25

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0230363954

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Using an analytical framework based on Foucault's concept of governmentality and through unique case-studies, this volume explores the ongoing transformations taking place in the Swedish welfare state.


Book Synopsis Transformations of the Swedish Welfare State by : B. Larsson

Download or read book Transformations of the Swedish Welfare State written by B. Larsson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2012-01-25 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using an analytical framework based on Foucault's concept of governmentality and through unique case-studies, this volume explores the ongoing transformations taking place in the Swedish welfare state.


Welfare States and the Future

Welfare States and the Future

Author: B. Vivekanandan

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2005-01-06

Total Pages: 391

ISBN-13: 0230554911

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This volume presents a thought provoking analysis of key welfare state issues engaging policy makers across the globe. It provides a unique and comprehensive evaluation of the state of welfare states- developed and developing. It maps the diversity of welfare regimes across the world and brings to fore the particularities and nuances that characterise them. The book also focuses on the on-going reforms and makes a powerful case for the increased relevance of the welfare state in a globalizing era.


Book Synopsis Welfare States and the Future by : B. Vivekanandan

Download or read book Welfare States and the Future written by B. Vivekanandan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2005-01-06 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents a thought provoking analysis of key welfare state issues engaging policy makers across the globe. It provides a unique and comprehensive evaluation of the state of welfare states- developed and developing. It maps the diversity of welfare regimes across the world and brings to fore the particularities and nuances that characterise them. The book also focuses on the on-going reforms and makes a powerful case for the increased relevance of the welfare state in a globalizing era.


Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State

Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State

Author: Andreas Bergh

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2014-07-31

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1783473509

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This book tackles a number of controversial questions regarding Swedenês economic and political development: «¾¾¾¾ How did Sweden become rich? «¾¾¾¾ How did Sweden become egalitarian? «¾¾¾¾ Why has Sweden since the early 1990s grown faster tha


Book Synopsis Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State by : Andreas Bergh

Download or read book Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State written by Andreas Bergh and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2014-07-31 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book tackles a number of controversial questions regarding Swedenês economic and political development: «¾¾¾¾ How did Sweden become rich? «¾¾¾¾ How did Sweden become egalitarian? «¾¾¾¾ Why has Sweden since the early 1990s grown faster tha


The Welfare State in Transition

The Welfare State in Transition

Author: Richard B. Freeman

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2008-04-15

Total Pages: 490

ISBN-13: 0226261859

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Once heralded in the 1950s and 1960s as a model welfare state, Sweden is now in transition and in trouble since its economic plunge in the early 1990s. This volume presents ten essays that examine Sweden's economic problems from a U.S. perspective. Exploring such diverse topics as income equalization and efficiency, welfare and tax policy, wage determination and unemployment, and international competitiveness and growth, they consider how Sweden's welfare state succeeded in eliminating poverty and became a role model for other countries. They then reflect on Sweden's past economic problems, such as the increase in government spending and the fall in industrial productivity, warning of problems to come. Finally they review the consequences of the collapse of Sweden's economy in the early 1990s, exploring the implications of its efforts to reform its welfare state and reestablish a healthy economy. This volume will be of interest to policymakers and analysts, social scientists, and economists interested in welfare states.


Book Synopsis The Welfare State in Transition by : Richard B. Freeman

Download or read book The Welfare State in Transition written by Richard B. Freeman and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once heralded in the 1950s and 1960s as a model welfare state, Sweden is now in transition and in trouble since its economic plunge in the early 1990s. This volume presents ten essays that examine Sweden's economic problems from a U.S. perspective. Exploring such diverse topics as income equalization and efficiency, welfare and tax policy, wage determination and unemployment, and international competitiveness and growth, they consider how Sweden's welfare state succeeded in eliminating poverty and became a role model for other countries. They then reflect on Sweden's past economic problems, such as the increase in government spending and the fall in industrial productivity, warning of problems to come. Finally they review the consequences of the collapse of Sweden's economy in the early 1990s, exploring the implications of its efforts to reform its welfare state and reestablish a healthy economy. This volume will be of interest to policymakers and analysts, social scientists, and economists interested in welfare states.


The Oxford Handbook of Swedish Politics

The Oxford Handbook of Swedish Politics

Author: Jon Pierre

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 737

ISBN-13: 0199665672

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Series titles from the publisher's website.


Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Swedish Politics by : Jon Pierre

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Swedish Politics written by Jon Pierre and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 737 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Series titles from the publisher's website.


Reforming the Welfare State

Reforming the Welfare State

Author: Richard B. Freeman

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2010-04-15

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 0226261913

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Over the course of the twentieth century, Sweden carried out one of the most ambitious experiments by a capitalist market economy in developing a large and active welfare state. Sweden's generous social programs and the economic equality they fostered became an example for other countries to emulate. Of late, Sweden has also been much discussed as a model of how to deal with financial and economic crisis, due to the country's recovery from a banking crisis in the mid-1990s. At that time economists heatedly debated whether the welfare state caused Sweden's crisis and should be reformed—a debate with clear parallels to current concerns over capitalism. Bringing together leading economists, Reforming the Welfare State examines Sweden's policies in response to the mid-1990s crisis and the implications for the subsequent recovery. Among the issues investigated are the way changes in the labor market, tax and benefit policies, local government policy, industrial structure, and international trade affected Sweden's recovery. The way that Sweden addressed its economic challenges provides valuable insight into the viability of large welfare states, and more broadly, into the way modern economies deal with crisis.


Book Synopsis Reforming the Welfare State by : Richard B. Freeman

Download or read book Reforming the Welfare State written by Richard B. Freeman and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2010-04-15 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the course of the twentieth century, Sweden carried out one of the most ambitious experiments by a capitalist market economy in developing a large and active welfare state. Sweden's generous social programs and the economic equality they fostered became an example for other countries to emulate. Of late, Sweden has also been much discussed as a model of how to deal with financial and economic crisis, due to the country's recovery from a banking crisis in the mid-1990s. At that time economists heatedly debated whether the welfare state caused Sweden's crisis and should be reformed—a debate with clear parallels to current concerns over capitalism. Bringing together leading economists, Reforming the Welfare State examines Sweden's policies in response to the mid-1990s crisis and the implications for the subsequent recovery. Among the issues investigated are the way changes in the labor market, tax and benefit policies, local government policy, industrial structure, and international trade affected Sweden's recovery. The way that Sweden addressed its economic challenges provides valuable insight into the viability of large welfare states, and more broadly, into the way modern economies deal with crisis.


The Quest for a Divided Welfare State

The Quest for a Divided Welfare State

Author: John Lapidus

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Published: 2020-09-18

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9783030247867

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This book deals with the quest for a divided welfare state in Sweden. The prime example is the rapid rise of private health insurance, which now constitutes a parallel system characterized by state subsidies for some and not for others. This functions as a kind of reverse means-testing, whereby primarily the upper classes get state support for new types of welfare consumption. Innovatively, Lapidus explains how such a parallel system requires not only direct and statutory state support but also indirect support, for example, from infrastructure built for the public health system. He goes on to examine how semi-private welfare funding is dependent on private provision and how the so-called 'hidden welfare state' gradually erodes the visible and former universal welfare state model, in direct contrast to its own stated goals. Who benefits from privatized welfare? How are the privatization of delivery and the privatization of funding linked? How does this impact public willingness to pay tax? All of these questions and more are discussed in this accessible volume.


Book Synopsis The Quest for a Divided Welfare State by : John Lapidus

Download or read book The Quest for a Divided Welfare State written by John Lapidus and published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book was released on 2020-09-18 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with the quest for a divided welfare state in Sweden. The prime example is the rapid rise of private health insurance, which now constitutes a parallel system characterized by state subsidies for some and not for others. This functions as a kind of reverse means-testing, whereby primarily the upper classes get state support for new types of welfare consumption. Innovatively, Lapidus explains how such a parallel system requires not only direct and statutory state support but also indirect support, for example, from infrastructure built for the public health system. He goes on to examine how semi-private welfare funding is dependent on private provision and how the so-called 'hidden welfare state' gradually erodes the visible and former universal welfare state model, in direct contrast to its own stated goals. Who benefits from privatized welfare? How are the privatization of delivery and the privatization of funding linked? How does this impact public willingness to pay tax? All of these questions and more are discussed in this accessible volume.


Inequalities and Migration

Inequalities and Migration

Author: Sven Trygged

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9789144116945

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"Sweden is often pictured as a country with a strong welfare system and low levels of inequality. But it is also described as a country which has undergone fundamental restructurings of its welfare system since the 1990s, and where social inequality is now growing rapidly. This development is strikingly visible among people with a migration background. Inequalities and migration sets focus on ongoing developments and debates about the Swedish welfare system in relation to migration. It introduces the international reader to current developments of inequalities and migration in Sweden in broad historical and international perspectives. The book also offers in-depth insights into how the dynamics of growing inequality unfold in regard to a range of phenomena and areas of intervention, including the role of civil society. The selected case studies focus on inequalities and hierarchies in relation to both various forms of cross-border mobility and the increased diversification of Swedish society. The book fills a gap when it comes to English language course literature about contemporary debates regarding social policy and social work in relation to migration in Sweden. At the same time, it is well suited for a broader range of readers, including policy makers and practitioners outside of Sweden."


Book Synopsis Inequalities and Migration by : Sven Trygged

Download or read book Inequalities and Migration written by Sven Trygged and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Sweden is often pictured as a country with a strong welfare system and low levels of inequality. But it is also described as a country which has undergone fundamental restructurings of its welfare system since the 1990s, and where social inequality is now growing rapidly. This development is strikingly visible among people with a migration background. Inequalities and migration sets focus on ongoing developments and debates about the Swedish welfare system in relation to migration. It introduces the international reader to current developments of inequalities and migration in Sweden in broad historical and international perspectives. The book also offers in-depth insights into how the dynamics of growing inequality unfold in regard to a range of phenomena and areas of intervention, including the role of civil society. The selected case studies focus on inequalities and hierarchies in relation to both various forms of cross-border mobility and the increased diversification of Swedish society. The book fills a gap when it comes to English language course literature about contemporary debates regarding social policy and social work in relation to migration in Sweden. At the same time, it is well suited for a broader range of readers, including policy makers and practitioners outside of Sweden."