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Dismantling Swedish Housing Policy
Author(s) -
Lindbom Anders
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
governance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.46
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1468-0491
pISSN - 0952-1895
DOI - 10.1111/0952-1895.00171
Subject(s) - retrenchment , opposition (politics) , welfare state , politics , welfare , economics , public administration , public economics , state (computer science) , public housing , political economy , economic policy , political science , market economy , economic growth , law , algorithm , computer science
Today it is often argued that welfare state retrenchment is more or less impossible. Even politicians who advocate radical cuts in principle do not manage to execute them in the face of the strong opposition such proposals meet. However, Swedish housing policy has experienced radical change, resulting in big savings for the state budget and dramatically increased housing costs for citizens. In comparison with changes in other parts of the welfare state, the reforms have been radical. This article argues that Swedish housing policy is very complex and technical. Reforms met little resistance because the general public did not understand their effects. Even today, when the effects are known, citizens’ knowledge about the policy area is too meager to allow them to understand that the increased cost of their housing is an effect of political decisions.