Culture, institutions and long-term development: the Swedish case and implications for China

Most social scientists agree that institutional analyses seem to be a promising tool to analyse long-term development. International comparisons are also necessary to understand what constitutes ‘good’ institutions and to which extent they can be created by conscious decisions. The most important aspect of studies of other countries and their institutional development is not what we learn about them but that we by comparison can develop a better understanding of the history of our own country. This article describes the peculiarities of the Swedish institutional framework in a historical perspective. Special attention has been given to aspects that are often discussed in analyses of the Chinese development. In many aspects, China and Sweden can be seen as representatives of two opposite paths of development for instance in the sequence of institutional building, in the development of checks and balances and in whether the orientation of the culture is family or society oriented. In spite of these differences, it is not difficult to find islands of cultural concordance which can facilitate mutual learning and understanding.