Interaction of Ideology and Institutions in Treating Violent Men

Abstract

Since Sweden has a reputation for having a pragmatic, technocratic
 approach to solving social problems, the question arises as to why the
 country uses different methods at the national and the local level for
 treating violent men. If studies show that one method is superior to
 others, we would expect both levels of government to use similar
 treatment methods. Despite the emphasis on pragmatic solutions,
 ideology plays an important role, as the Swedish government in recent
 decades has largely accepted the New Public Management approach to
 governance. However, because of differences in institutional
 arrangements, it becomes logically appropriate for the national level to
 utilize a different type of therapy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) than
 the local level (Psycho Dynamic Therapy among others). Thus, a
 combination of an ideological shift to New Public Management and
 institutional differences can explain the differences in therapeutic
 approaches, rather than reliance on scientific studies.