Sweden

Social Movements

During the 1970s, Sweden, like many other Western countries, also saw the rise of new social movements relating to specific issues, such as the green movement, the peace movement, and the women's movement. Examples of other networks that have come increasingly into prominence [Page 837]during the late 1990s and early 2000s are the lesbian and gay movement and the antiracist movement.

Even though the streak of Social Democratic Party governments has been interrupted several times from the 1980s on, the people's movement tradition still plays an important role. A wide range of civil society networks and nongovernmental organizations continue to provide an institutional framework for Swedish public life. This goes for a majority of aspects of the welfare state: employment (trade unions); housing (residents' associations); consumption (the consumers' cooperation); health (illness and disability organizations); and leisure (networks for culture, sports, and hobbies). These social networks contribute to the Swedish welfare state in a number of respects. They facilitate leisure activities, offer opportunities for social contacts and interaction, supply people with information and unique forms of knowledge, create a sense of identity for members and participators, foster community within social groups, offer an arena for creativity, and support the interest of their members, thereby strengthening their political resources.

These social networks function as an important framework for the everyday life and leisure of the Swedish people. They support the democratic participation of citizens and protect them in various arenas. The networks and organizations generate a common form of social capital among people who thereby learn to cooperate toward common goals and to prepare and collectively make decisions and find strategies. This is crucial for fostering democracy and social trust at the more general societal level in Sweden.

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