Sweden’s political machinery squeaks. Events after the 2014 election revealed how difficult it has become to form stable governments and build majorities in the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament. It is important to determine how the political system can be improved. That is why SNS launched a research project on the current state of Sweden’s parliamentary democracy. The research project resulted in the report Cooperation and Conflict in a Parliamentary Democracy.
In recent decades, the conditions of effective democratic government have changed greatly in Sweden.
The project showed the Swedish parliamentary democracy system – especially when it comes to government formation and political decision-making in the Riksdag – has changed during the last few decades. Historical and comparative analyses leads to a better understanding of the challenges and possibilities that Sweden is currently facing.
The project resulted in a number of practical proposals about how political practice and legislation might be adapted, to make Sweden’s parliamentary democratic system work better.
Stefan Sandström, stefan.sandstrom@sns.se, phone +46 8 507 025 64
The research group consisted of five political scientists. Professor Johannes Lindvall, Lund University, was chairman. The other researchers were Professor Hanna Bäck, Lund University, Professor Carl Dahlström, University of Gothenburg, Associate Professor Elin Naurin, University of Gothenburg, and Professor Jan Teorell, Lund University.
The report was presented in September 2017.