The Political Theory of Swedish Social Democracy

Book excerpt: Sweden's Social Democratic movement is widely regarded as the most successful of its kind in the world. Its success is often attributed to its pragmatism rather than its consistent ideological commitment. This book argues that, on the contrary, Sweden's distinctive economic and social policies cannot be understood apart from the ideological convictions of several generations of political leaders and thinkers. Examining the thinking of major figures in Swedish Social Democracy (including Hjalmar Branting, Gunnar Myrdal, and Olof Palme), this book provides the first up-to-date survey of the party's ideological development from its origins in the 1880s until the present.