Swedish Social Democracy and European Integration

Swedish Social Democracy and European Integration

Author: Nicholas Aylott

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-01-22

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 0429795130

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First published in 1999, this volume why Europe’s arguably most successful political party, the Swedish Social Democratic Party, become so divided over European integration. Why were its grass-roots so reluctant to embrace EU membership and why did a Social Democratic government decide to stand aside from the launch of the single European currency? What connection is there between Europe and the Swedish model of political economy? While much has been written in English on Swedish Social Democracy, little of this literature has dealt with its difficulties during the 1990s and especially with its acute problems over Europe. This book fills that gap. Using original, primary data, Nicholas Aylott addresses the topic from macro and micro-political perspectives, taking account of historical, cultural, geopolitical and economic constraints, but also the interests and calculations of key individuals at critical junctures. It places the experience of Swedish Social Democracy into a broad comparative framework, drawing especially from the experiences of its Scandinavian sister parties. Up-to-date analysis of the party’s debate on EMU is included.


Sweden and European Integration

Sweden and European Integration

Author: Lee Miles

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-01-04

Total Pages: 602

ISBN-13: 0429794746

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First published in 1997, this volume examines the future development of the European Union (and Sweden’s role within it) which has been a subject of intense debate. Whilst to outside observers, the Swedish case may seem peripheral to mainstream events on the continental mainland due to the country’s status as a small state, Sweden will nevertheless have an important contribution to make to the future evolution of the European Union. The purpose of this book is to examine the complex inter-relationship between Sweden and European integration (1950-96). It introduces the concept of the ‘Swedish Diamond’ to explain why the country’s governing elite resisted and then went on to seek and attain full EU membership. The author also argues that a revised ‘Membership Diamond’ represents a useful conceptual framework for examining elite attitudes and perspectives now that Sweden is a full EU member. The book also includes a Foreword by the Swedish Defence Minister, Björn von Sydow.


Social Democracy in Sweden

Social Democracy in Sweden

Author: Dimitris Tsarouhas

Publisher: I.B. Tauris

Published: 2008-09-30

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

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What is the future of social democracy in the age of globalization? The Swedish model, long the paradigm for socially responsible capitalism, was pronounced dead in the 1990s, but a new Swedish model has emerged and is thriving. Europeanisation and globalization were expected to erode social democracy, placing limits on the power of organized labour to negotiate with capital. Here Dimitris Tsarouhas shows why and how this did not happen. Tracing the emergence of the original model to its institutional and political origins, he garners rich empirical evidence to show the resilience of the fundamental nature of Swedish social democracy in the face of changing policies, institutions and labour relations. "Social Democracy in Sweden" is an important reassessment of European social democracy and the impact of globalization.


Social Democracy and European Integration

Social Democracy and European Integration

Author: Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-09-13

Total Pages: 559

ISBN-13: 1136926518

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What kind of Europe do social democratic parties prefer? What is the origin of their preferences? Are they shaped by interests, institutions or ideas? If so, how? Why do social democratic political parties respond differently to the crucial question of the future of the European Union? While many social democratic parties initially opposed European integration either in principle or because of the form it took, gradually they came to lend their full, though often critical, support to it. Despite this evolution, important differences between them have remained. This book examines the preferences of social democratic parties in Germany, France, the UK, Sweden and Greece towards European integration, in comparative perspective. Using a variety of sources, including interviews with key party officials, the contributors explore what kind of Europe these parties want, and seek to explain the formation and evolution of these preferences over time. They examine the interplay of national peculiarities and cross-national factors and their impact on preferences on European integration. In addition to highlighting the role of party leaders, they reveal that, far from being united on European integration, these parties disagree with each other in part because they have retreated – to varying degrees – from key social democratic principles. Making an important contribution to the scholarship on preference formation and the research that links the European Union with the nation state, it will be of interest to students and scholars of the EU, comparative politics and political parties.


Globalization, Europeanization and the End of Scandinavian Social Democracy?

Globalization, Europeanization and the End of Scandinavian Social Democracy?

Author: R. Geyer

Publisher: Springer

Published: 1999-11-10

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 0230371655

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This book attempts to explore the impact of globalization and Europeanization on the development of Scandinavian social democracy. It is divided into three main sections: economic policy, welfare state/social policy, and social democratic party strategies. Each section examines how globalization and Europeanization impacts on these central policy and strategy arenas. The book argues that despite the growing importance of global and European forces, the Scandinavian social democracies have managed to defend and maintain their particular social democratic development trajectories.


Social Democracy and Rational Choice

Social Democracy and Rational Choice

Author: Henry Milner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2002-09-11

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 1134817703

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Is it possible in this post-socialist world, for equity and efficiency to be reconciled ? Or is a productive welfare state a contradication in terms ? This book addresses these questions in theory and in practice, using the Nordic countries as its case study. Social Democracy and Rational Choice will appeal to readers interested in comparative institutional and policy analysis, and in particular to those concerned with the future of the welfare state and the latest developments in the Nordic countries.


The social construction of Swedish neutrality

The social construction of Swedish neutrality

Author: Christine Agius

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2013-07-19

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 1784990027

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The end of the Cold War and the ‘War on Terror’ has signalled a shift in the security policies of all states. It has also led to the reconsideration of the policy of neutrality, and what being neutral means in the present age. This book examines the conceptualisation of neutrality from the Peloponnesian War to today, uncovering how neutrality has been a neglected and misunderstood subject in International Relations (IR) theory and politics. By rethinking neutrality through constructivism, this book argues that neutrality is intrinsically linked to identity. Using Sweden as a case study, it links identity, sovereignty, internationalism and solidarity to the debates about Swedish neutrality today and how neutrality has been central to Swedish identity and its worldview. It also examines the challenges to Swedish neutrality and neutrality broadly, in terms of European integration, globalisation, the decline of the state and sovereignty, and new threats to security, such as international terrorism, arguing that the norms and values of neutrality can be reworked to contribute to a more cosmopolitan international order.