Sweden’s Industrial Relations :: Economy Economics Politics Goverment Essays

Swedens Industrial RelationsSweden, like the other Nordic countries (Finland, Norway and Denmark) has languish been associated with the epitome of the well-being plead. This region of the world and Sweden in particular, is comfortably known for its self-coloured labor unions and high union participation. According to the CIA, 91% of the Swedish labor force was unionized in 1998 (Virn 201). The strong unions in turn elect government officials who tend to be collectivist and support unionization and union power, thus erecting the welfare state that is modern day Sweden. An analysis of the labor organization and industrial transaction of Sweden gives great insight into the fluctuations of the Swedish economy as well as the mindset of the Swedish leaders setting economic constitution.Sweden was governed consecutively by the Social Democratic party from 1932 until 1976 and the Social Democrats would return to power sporadically from the 80s to the present day. Such a long a nd continuous period of governance sheds light on two important factors 1) Swedish citizens are highly in favor of the welfare state to elect officials of the Social Democratic party over and over again and 2) the welfare state is deeply ingrained in the Swedish governance structure. Jan Bohlin agrees that the long era of Social Democrat governmental rule has obviously unexpended its imprint on Swedish society and the 1930s can be seen as the initial phase of an economic political model that mature after the Second World struggle (160). Bohlin separates Swedish economic narration into four distinct periods. The first between 1880 and the First World War saw the Swedish government spend heavily on infrastructure. The second, scratch in the 1930s and ending in the 1960s, the government began using policy to influence economic development and prevent economic downturn. The third, between 1960-80, was characterized by to a greater extent selective yet ambitious government int ervention in industrial relations. Finally, the fourth period, beginning in the 1980s, sees the government returning to more market solutions (152). It is the second of Bohlins four periods that labor unions began to make their turf out in Swedish society. As Evelyne Huber suggests, conditions in Scandinavia have thus been really favorable for social democracy and their affiliated unions the economics of all four Nordic countries are small all are religiously solid and Proestant and only Finland is linguistically divided (116).