In the world outside of Sweden and the Nordic countries, there is a common understanding that Sweden is very “left-wing” in the sense that it is very much a welfare state. The common belief is that government subsidies land in the hands of private people on a regular basis, and that high taxes are required to sustain this system.

Those who believe this are correct. The redistribution of wealth is a central part of the Swedish economic system. If your rent is too high for you to pay according to your income, you can get a monthly subsidy to cover part of your rent. When you have children younger than the age of 16, you can get a monthly subsidy to help you with your children’s expenses, regardless of your income. Taxes are high, but you never have to worry about being able to pay for the doctor or affording school for your children, even up to university level. Even laws are very citizen-oriented; 25 days of vacation from a full year of work are guaranteed by law, and if you are sick, you can get a doctor’s permission to take extra time off and continue receiving 80% of your normal pay so you can focus on recovering.

Yes, Sweden is very much a welfare state. We pay in a lot, but we sure get a lot out of it, too. The welfare state guarantees a certain amount of base security for everyone in Sweden. This is why Sweden always ranks high on standard-of-living-charts. And how’s that economy? Very stable, as it has been for a long while.

This is not to say that everyone in Sweden likes the idea of the welfare state, however. Political parties to the left on the political spectrum are generally in favor of keeping and developing the welfare state. Needless to say, these parties have great support in Sweden. Political parties to the right, naturally, have a more skeptical stance to the welfare state and are keen on privatization of government programs and services. What’s interesting is that even the right side of the political spectrum has a lot of support in Sweden – about equally as much! In other words, while a large portion of the Swedish people are in favor of a continued and expanded welfare system, about equally as many are interested in dismantling it to some extent. Some want to take away only certain parts, while others think the whole concept is unjust to the individual or family unit and want to remove it completely.

Despite these differences, which have always existed, the welfare state has been a central part of Swedish society since the early 1950’s (Nationalencyklopedin 2016). Attempts to dismantle it have only been successful in certain areas, and in relation to the size and elaborateness of the state, the changes have been relatively small. Still, these changes have met immense opposition among large parts of the population and some have even been retracted by new political leaders representing the left. One can wonder how long this fight for and against the welfare state will last.

Sweden is one of several European countries with a central welfare state and is considered by many to be one of the most developed. How is it in your country? Do you live in a welfare state, or does your country and social system have different priorities? Let us know in the comments!

[Source: Nationalencyklopedin, Välfärdssamhället. http://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/lång/sverige/historia/välfärdssamhället (hämtad 2016-10-26)]