The Local Sweden

INTERVIEW: Does coronavirus mark the end of neoliberalism in Sweden?

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 10:52:35 +0100

Just before Christmas, Sweden's finance minister Magdalena Andersson declared that the coronavirus crisis marked "the end of the era of Neoliberalism". But for Daniel Suhonen, the leading ideologue of the Social Democrats' left flank, the party needs concrete policies as well as words.

Incorrect welfare payments in Sweden total billions, group finds

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 18:01:23 +0200

Up to 8.7 billion kronor too much is paid out on welfare annually by the Swedish state, according to a government focus group.

Child mortality rate 1.5 times higher in England than Sweden – and poverty is a key factor, researchers argue

Fri, 04 May 2018 02:31:00 +0200

UPDATED: Children born in England are one-and-a-half times more likely to die before they reach the age of five than those born in Sweden, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

Swedish budget: Integration, climate change and equality

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:33:08 +0200

Sweden's Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson presented the government's new budget proposal on Tuesday alongside the ambitious goal of ensuring there is no budget deficit by 2018 – one year earlier than previously planned.

More cash for integration promised in spring budget

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 09:27:11 +0200

Sweden's centre-left government wants to invest 500 million kronor ($62 million) in boosting integration, according to a new spring budget proposal.

‘We must defend Swedish model’: Löfven

Sun, 13 Mar 2016 11:47:33 +0100

At the Social Democrats' annual municipality conference in Örebro this weekend, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven told his fellow Swedes that the much-vaunted Swedish model needed to be reinforced and developed and assured the country's welfare workers that they would benefit from increased investment.

What's it like being homeless during Sweden's winter?

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 08:27:00 +0100

It's dropped to less than -5C every night this week in Stockholm. So how does the city's homeless population survive?

Parents told to pay back millions to Swedish state

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 10:40:58 +0200

Swedish parents who stay at home with sick children get paid at least 80 percent of their salary. But after a crackdown by the Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), hundreds of Swedish mums and dads have been told to pay back a record 14.8 million kronor ($1.7m) to the state.

Digital push could save welfare millions: report

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 11:02:00 +0100

A string of digital reforms could help Sweden cut the bulging costs of elderly care, as baby boomers retire and life expectancy continues to climb, a new report found. But not without broadband upgrades.

Swedes 'clueless' about rise in welfare spending

Fri, 07 Feb 2014 18:17:00 +0100

Sweden is spending more money than ever on the public sector according to a new study. But the typical Swede still believes things were better in the eighties.

Sweden 'slimmest Nordic welfare state '

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 08:33:00 +0100

High taxes, high social security, such has been the identity of the "Nordic Model", yet hard times and ideological bents have propelled Europe's northern politicians to reform the cradle-to-the-grave system, argues AFP.

Unions shift stance on welfare sector profits

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 08:36:00 +0100

Sweden's powerful blue collar trade union group LO has scrapped its quest to regulate profits for businesses operating in the welfare sector, signaling instead that it's open to negotiating a solution.

Sweden data debunks UK migration fears

Tue, 14 Jan 2014 16:25:00 +0100

Sweden's decision to welcome Bulgarians and Romanians back in 2007 has benefited state coffers, new Gothenburg University research revealed on Tuesday. The UK, the Swedish economist argued, stands to benefit even more.

Financier fears 'populist welfare profit debate'

Fri, 27 Dec 2013 17:39:00 +0100

A high-profile financier has withdrawn his support from the Social Democrats, stating that both the opposition and the government risk populist pandering with moves to curtail profits in the welfare sector.

Snitching Swedes help unmask benefits cheats

Mon, 11 Nov 2013 09:26:00 +0100

Thousands of Swedes report their neighbours and relatives for benefits fraud each year, accounting for nearly half of all reports about suspected social insurance malfeasance.

Swedish welfare scandals call for profit review

Tue, 05 Nov 2013 16:24:00 +0100

While the recent scandal about unfair admissions practices at Sweden's free schools may be overblown, the revelations make it clear that the involvement of private players in Sweden's welfare sector needs to be improved, argues liberal commentator Nima Sanandaji.

Tedious praise of 'perfect Swedish society'

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 08:14:00 +0100

Politicians and pundits love to praise Sweden, but sometimes they go a bit too far in relishing and embellishing the country's national myth, argues historian and liberal commentator David Lindén.

'The country we called Sweden no longer exists'

Tue, 06 Aug 2013 17:10:00 +0200

Tax cuts and the sale of the health care system to venture capitalists signify a new, dangerous spirit of egoism that threatens to ruin Sweden's once cherished welfare state, warns Swedish rapper, actor, and writer Dogge Doggelito.

Sweden clamps down on venture capitalists

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:57:00 +0200

A tax hike for a high-profile firm of Swedish venture capitalists has financial observers worried that the recent focus on their income could cause bad blood among investors.

Swedish teens 'more depressed than ever'

Mon, 27 May 2013 18:22:00 +0200

More young Swedes are depressed than ever before, a new mental health report has shown, with socio-economic factors upping the chance of dangerous risk-taking and suicide.