Governing End of Life: The Case of Sweden

Abstract

Issues concerning death and dying are not themes one commonly associates with governance. Nonetheless, however death is understood, defined, and managed, is not an exclusively biological or spiritual matter but an important social issue. Accordingly, in modern states, most aspects of death and dying — from advanced directives and end-of-life decisions to funeral rites, testamentary rules and forensic examinations, disposal of bodies, and actuarial follow-up of mortality and morbidity in populations — have been highly regulated.

Man has always been concerned with and has devised strategic attitudes toward death.

(Vovelle 1980)