Sweden

Abstract

AbstractSweden has long been one of the most equal countries in the world. At the turn of the 20th century, it adopted programs of universal benefits for all people in the country, whether born in the country or not. These programs included wages, health care, and education. The tolerant Swedes have long accepted immigrants and refugees from countries with different backgrounds. Sweden has more immigrants per capita than anywhere else in the West. Yet there is a movement, the Swedish Democrats, that has gained support by proposing to limit immigration and to restrict benefits to people of Swedish descent. It has not fared as well as many other nationalist parties in the West. Yet it has pushed the major parties to restrict both immigration and benefits more than in the past.