debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
Even though the Nordic countries show marked similarities in terms of socioeconomic and social conditions, there is much that separates them. Welfare policy ambitions may be similar, but when we examine the conditions for youths to establish themselves in the labour market and earn a living, we find significant variations. Youths face considerably less favourable [...]
The Social Europe Journal website has paid a great deal of attention to youth unemployment – and rightfully so. However, becoming fully aware of the depth and persistence of the labour market problems of younger generations requires a broader perspective in three ways. Firstly, researchers need to look beyond unemployment and include other labour market [...]
In the middle of the euro area crisis two Nordic neighbours, Finland and Sweden, seem to offer an interesting case for a pairwise comparison and a “test laboratory”. The both countries joined the EU at the same time in 1995. While Finland was one of the first-wave EU countries to adopt the euro, Sweden has [...]
The Nordic countries are often considered as having the same type of welfare of states with only small differences between them. There are many similarities. The Nordic countries are characterized by small income differences, ambitious welfare policy programmes and strong labour market organisations. But if we compare the four countries more closely, we will also [...]
With a new party leader in place, the Swedish social democratic party (SAP) is once again trying to find its role in the Swedish political landscape – a landscape that has been transformed greatly over the past six years of conservative government, and arguably even more over the past three decades, of which a majority [...]
Yesterday, the Swedish Social Democrats’ party secretary, Carin Jämtin held a brief press conference where she announced that the party’s executive committee would submit a proposal on an acting party leader to the party board meeting on Friday. The former party leader, Håkan Juholt resigned on Saturday. According to Västerbottens Folkblad sources, the president of the trade [...]
At a brief press conference on Saturday afternoon, Håkan Juholt declared his resignation after only ten months as party leader of the Swedish Social Democrats. He was elected in a turbulent time after the disastrous election results of 2010 following which Mona Sahlin announced her resignation as party leader. Juholt’s time as party leader was [...]
The semi-annual party preference survey from Statistics Sweden (SCB) shows that a general election in November would give the centre-right government parties (C + FP + M + KD), 48.4 percent of the vote. The centre-left parties (S + V + MP) would get 44.6 percent. The xenophobic Sweden Democrats would get 5.7 percent. Party [...]
Support for the Euro in Sweden is below ten percent and thereby at a historical low point. The opposite is true for the opposition to a Swedish membership in the Euro that is now reaching new highs at 88 percent. This according to an opinion poll conducted by Skop. According to the survey conducted in [...]
As the financial crisis intensifies, it is becoming increasingly clear that our deeply indebted economies need restructuring. The key focus must be on the signals prices send out to states, firms and households. Due to the dysfunctions of financial markets as well as the euro-zone’s architectural flaws unsustainable capital flows fuelled not only enormous debt [...]
On July 1 two Swedish journalists, Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, were arrested by the military when they tried to enter the Ethiopian province of Ogaden in order to write a story for the Swedish magazine Filter. They have since been indicted by the Ethiopian regime for terrorist crimes as they travelled with the local [...]
According to a report by The National Union of Teachers in Sweden (Lärarnas riksförbund), there is solid opposition among Swedes regarding profits being taken out of the private so-called free schools. Eight out of ten Swedes want to see this limited. Even among centre-right voters 73 percent want to see such restrictions. Among centre-left voters [...]
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