Democratization and the Reorganization of the Welfare State

The democratization of Eastern Europe has engaged a debate about the relationship between the state and civil society. Efforts to create an independent civil society have raised questions about state-dominated political change in Western democracies as well. Since the 1980s, the European social welfare state has been challenged by downsizing, decentralization, and privatization of government services. Recent research in Europe shows, however, a strong connection between horizontal civic traditions and the success of effective government. This article penetrates the challenge of the vertical democratic organization and the new management alternatives that confront the traditional welfare state. Has the reorganization of the welfare state changed the perception of democracy and the way it is organized among the political and administrative leaders? The case studied here is Sweden, one of the more egalitarian welfare societies in the world, where expansion has been located primarily in the Swedish self-governing unit, the commune.