Sweden: The Flagship of Multiculturalism

Abstract

The welfare state that was established in Sweden after World War II can basically be seen as an integration project, the aim of which was to promote national cohesion and solidarity. ¹ The integration logic of the welfare state has been most clearly formulated by British sociologist T.H. Marshall who claimed that national solidarity presupposed that all inhabitants had a share in a common set of rights and resources according to the standards prevailing in that society. ² The basic idea is that equality promotes integration. In this respect, the welfare state plays a key role in maintaining a certain level of social equality and in preventing the emergence of great socio-economic gaps between various groups of citizens. If we look at what underlies the Swedish welfare state, it is also possible to discern ideas concerning how the actual distribution of resources is to be organised in order to promote the aim of solidarity. The universal welfare model is based on the idea that a welfare policy that in principle includes all inhabitants is better able to promote overall solidarity among citizens than is a policy that selectively focuses on certain population categories.