Swedish Bureaucracy in an Era of Change

Abstract

Swedish bureaucracy combines some structural peculiarities founded on constitutional traits from the 17th century with a clear formal division of labor between the national and local levels from the late 19th century. These structures have mainly remained unchanged during periods of strong expansion in the first post‐WWII decades and preconditions for shrinking during the 1980s and 1990s. In this article, we highlight how these changes have put stress on the bureaucracy and the public sector in general, and how demands for reform and adapting have been managed and viewed by the administrative and political camps, respectively. Social, educational, and political changes among Swedish bureaucrats and their roles are presented and analyzed. The national bureaucracy has “muddled through” and has not been subjected to radical reforms. Its working is still approved—though by no means regarded as sacred—by its administrative agents and its political principals.