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Renegotiating the Swedish Social Democratic Settlement: From Pension Fund Socialism to Neoliberalization

Author

Listed:
  • Claes Belfrage

    (University of Wales Swansea, c.a.belfrage@swansea.ac.uk)

  • Magnus Ryner

    (Oxford Brookes University, mryner@brookes.ac.uk)

Abstract

Steering a middle course between the strong neoliberalization thesis and arguments that deny that neoliberalization has occurred, this article accounts for the complex and hybridic shift in Sweden from pension reform through share ownership as a socialist strategy to an as-of-yet incomplete and contradictory neoliberal process. Noting the broader significance of Sweden for the international debate over pension reform, the article unpacks the concept of “mass investment culture†to discern the significant headway toward neoliberalization in Swedish pension savings and provision while still noting profound sources of crisis tendencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Claes Belfrage & Magnus Ryner, 2009. "Renegotiating the Swedish Social Democratic Settlement: From Pension Fund Socialism to Neoliberalization," Politics & Society, , vol. 37(2), pages 257-287, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:37:y:2009:i:2:p:257-287
    DOI: 10.1177/0032329209333994
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Buendía, Luis & Barredo, Juan & Balay, Juan, 2022. "Foreign sector and welfare state in Sweden: From complementarity to tensions," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 310-319.
    2. Alexis Stenfors, 2014. "The Swedish Financial System," FESSUD studies fstudy13, Financialisation, Economy, Society & Sustainable Development (FESSUD) Project.
    3. Kaifala, Gabriel B. & Paisey, Catriona & Paisey, Nicholas J., 2021. "The UK pensions landscape – A critique of the role of accountants and accounting technologies in the treatment of social and societal risks," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Alexis Stenfors, 2014. "Financialisation and the Financial and Economic Crises: The Case of Sweden," FESSUD studies fstudy27, Financialisation, Economy, Society & Sustainable Development (FESSUD) Project.
    5. Haffert, Lukas & Mehrtens, Philip, 2013. "From austerity to expansion? Consolidation, budget surpluses, and the decline of fiscal capacity," MPIfG Discussion Paper 13/16, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    6. Viktor Skyrman, 2023. "An Antidote for Securitization? How Covered Bonds Fuel Household Indebtedness in Sweden’s Financialized Growth Model," Working Papers PKWP2314, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).

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