POLITICS & ECONOMICS IN SWEDEN & BRITAIN.   Term Paper ID:22883 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines nations' socioeconomic frameworks, models (class vs. elite pluralist), industry, labor & bureaucracies & compares British Labour Party & Swedish Social Democratic Party.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines nations' socioeconomic frameworks, models (class vs. elite pluralist), industry, labor & bureaucracies & compares British Labour Party & Swedish Social Democratic Party. Paper Introduction: THE NATURAL PARTY OF GOVERNMENT: SWEDEN AND BRITAIN Introduction The Social Democratic Party in Sweden has achieved greater success in holding political power in the twentieth century than has any other political party in a democratic country with free and regularly conducted elections. Only the Liberal Party in Canada has even approached the success of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. Among the Western democracies, the success of the Swedish Social Democrats is all the more unusual because the party is based on a socialist political philosophy. The Liberals in Canada, by contrast are a party that adheres to a centrist philosophy. Among the socialist parties active in the major Western democracies, non Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. 59). For the National Road SafetyOrganization, various temperance societies, and the small organizationsthat work for the preservation of Swedish culture abroad, the goals arepractical. As Tony Blair appears to stand a good chance of leadingLabour to victory in the next general election, both the Labour Party andthe TUC are making an effort to mute the ability of the TUC to influenceLabour Party policies to avoid offending or scaring a large proportion ofthe British electorate (Tony, 1995, p. The last Tory leader who believed in manufacturing-ledgrowth was Edward Heath, and a fat lot of good it did him" (MacShane, 1993,pp. 3. 41). Thus, societal elitesparticipate in the decisions which shape the lives of all persons within asociety, while the masses are those persons whose lives are shaped byinstitutions, events, and leaders over which they, the masses, are able toexercise little, if any, direct control (Dye and Ziegler, 1987, p. The elite pluralist model recognizes the presence in societyof elites, and posits that classical democracy, as that ideal is embracedin the concept of pluralism, does not exist. Conclusion The British Labour Party exists as a power structure on the left in adecentralized society dominated by centrists. MacShane, D. Through an intensity and pervasiveness of industrialization in Swedenthat has been unmatched in Britain, Sweden transformed itself into a giantbureaucracy (Fleisher, 1967, pp. 2. Max Weber identified sevencharacteristics that define a bureaucracy. The past and the future of the Swedishdemocracy. New York: St.Martin's Press. Elite theory holds that an elite iscomprised of a relatively few people within a society who have and exercisepower within that social system (Dye & Ziegler, 1987, p. The statesman's year-book, 1995-1996. Thus, a bureaucratic structure can pose a problem insituations where the unexpected occurs and a quick response is desirable. Because of their size andinfluence, the organizations solve nearly all their differences throughnegotiations and compromises without government intervention, which theyare afraid would circumscribe their freedom of action. Incontent, its social services equal those in any socialist or formerlysocialist country, while in quality Sweden's social services exceed thosein any socialist or formerly socialist country. Conditions of labor-party dominance: Sweden andBritain compared. Among the Westerndemocracies, the success of the Swedish Social Democrats is all the moreunusual because the party is based on a socialist political philosophy.The Liberals in Canada, by contrast are a party that adheres to a centristphilosophy. The samephenomenon has not occurred in British industry. Hunter, B. 7. The thesis ofthis examination is, in part, that, contrary to the assertion by Pontusson,the British Labour Party has not "enjoyed more favorable conditions thanany other party purporting to represent the interests of workers as aclass" (Pontusson, 1992, p. There are also politicaland non political women's organizations. The wave of mergers and single-union deals have concentrated theforces of labour in Britain (MacShane, 1993, p. Therefore, a major problemthat is solved by the bureaucratic structure is the tendency for chaos thatfrequently characterizes non bureaucratic structures. A bureaucracy is characterized by a clear division of laborwherein duties are distributed among organizational members on the basis ofspecific competence. (1991, Spring). Review of Politics, 53, 34 -372. Over one third of thehouseholds belong to a consumers' cooperative. at Mr Blair's plans to weaken their grip onthe Labour Party. Social classes are not as well defined in Sweden as theyare in Britain (Vail, 1993, pp. 2 -21). Within the concept of the elite pluralist model, competing elitesdetermine public policy through bargaining and compromise, while the votingrights of the masses enable new elites to gain a share of the power withinthe social and political systems. Most citizens do not really know how to approach theorganizations to which they belong (Fleisher, 1967, p. The principal societal actors within the context of the elitepluralist model are business leaders, the heads of a nation's financialinstitutions, elected political leaders, appointed officials ingovernmental bureaucracy and the military services, and organizationalleaders at the societal level-labor, agricultural, and professional.Pluralism holds that power is fragmented within a society; however, theelite pluralist model puts limits on such fragmentation, in that politicalpower within the society is exercised by a set of elites. 62). The elite pluralist model,however, holds that democratic values are preserved through a system ofmultiple, competing elites. Ratherthan open conflict, they choose a more or less constant and disciplined tugof war. 58-59). Only the Liberal Party in Canada has even approached thesuccess of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. Bureaucracies are entities that provide an impersonal means ofexercising control. Until the late-193 s and evenlater, many of the organizations openly opposed each other but they havesince chosen to be guided by cooperation. Sweden has become an organized society, a disciplined democracy.Sweden has, in fact, become a societal bureaucracy. In fact, however, thecountry has a market economy with private ownership of businessorganizations. R., & Ziegler, H. Virtually all the farmers markettheir products through the farmers' cooperatives. (1967). TUC ..., but he is really among pussy cats. They are much less eagerto join groups for social purposes (Fleisher, 1967, p. Two thousand differentindustrial or trade associations, "ranging from the British ButtonManufacturers Association to the CBI represent British manufacturing. By contrast,the masses are the many people who cannot wield power within a socialsystem. All actions of a bureaucracy, together with decisions andrules governing operations, are recorded. The TUC has long been able to exert great influence on the Labour Party.Thus, when the Labour Party forms a government, the TUC influence in policymaking is great. 41-72). Demonstrated technical competence is an essential criterionfor the appointment of a person to the staff of a bureaucracy. Revival of the fittest. 71-72). Britain has become "centralised, hierarchical, and socially moredivided as manufacturing has crumbled. diZerega, G. In this context, The Economist said that: "Tony Blair may feel asthough he is entering the lions' den when he addresses the annual meetingof the ... Duringhis university days he may join the junior section of a political party.He is rather likely to join the junior section of the Swedish MedicalAssociation, of the Association of Social Scientists, a union of secondaryschoolteachers, or the like, which may help him get occasional short-termjobs. THE NATURAL PARTY OF GOVERNMENT: SWEDEN AND BRITAIN Introduction The Social Democratic Party in Sweden has achieved greater success inholding political power in the twentieth century than has any otherpolitical party in a democratic country with free and regularly conductedelections. 34 -372). (1993, 22 October). Monthly Review, 45(5), 24-31. (He may have belonged to the BoyScouts when he was younger.) If he goes on to the university, heautomatically becomes a member of the National Union of Students. Taxation levels are high, however, to support the level ofsocial services funded by the government. The elite pluralist model posits that public policy decision making ischaracterized by an interaction between a set of multiple elites within asociety. Rather, the thesis of this examinationholds that the Swedish Social Democratic Party has been and continues to bein a more advantageous position than any other socialist party in a Westerndemocracy because of the bureaucratization of Swedish society through anelite-pluralist model. Self-discipline isimperative to the organizations to maintain a balanced society. (Ed.). This impersonal approach to control enhances theprobability that staff members will be qualified, supervision will becompetent, and outcomes will be predictable. Nepotism,favoritism, and corruption are rejected as bases of membership inbureaucracies. (1992). (9 December 1995). Toronto:McClelland and Stewart, 58-82. The structure of a bureaucracy is characterized by adistinct hierarchy of control and responsibility. The bureaucratic form, however, also has a down side. New Statesman& Society, 6, 2 -21. The irony of democracy. Organizational members are given the necessaryauthority to carry out the duties assigned to them. 62). 41). The staff of a bureaucratic organization is separate anddistinct from either or both the administration under which a bureaucracyexists (public sector) or the ownership of the means of an organization'sproduction (private sector). (1995). 2 -21). 5. 6. Swedes belong more toorganizations than any other people in the world. Theformalization that characterizes the functioning of a bureaucracy tends tostifle individual creativity among the members of a bureaucracy. Thisdisparity works against the ability of any one non labour group to bedominant in efforts to influence governmental decisions, especially when aLabour government is in power or when the Tory government in power is weak,as is true in the case of the Major Government. Mr Blair can be reasonably sure that by the time hesits down they will be purring contentedly" (Tony, 1995, p. Fleisher, F. No position holder in a bureaucracy holds any right oftenancy to that position. TheTUC represents about 4 per cent of the workforce but the CBI representsonly 13 per cent of British companies" (MacShane, 1993, p. "A citizen in the disciplined democracy will probably belong tothe Union of Secondary School Students. After completing his university studies and getting established inhis field, he moves up into the senior section of the ... By contrast, the SwedishSocial Democratic Party is the chief architect and administrator of adisciplined bureaucracy that also is a nation. Among the socialist parties active in the major Western democracies,none has a higher public profile than the British Labour Party. Sweden was transformed from a poor agricultural, undemocratic classsociety, where wealth was concentrated in a few hands and near destitutionwas the lot of the vast majority, to art affluent, modern, disciplineddemocracy, where poverty is almost nonexistent and great wealth isextremely rare (Fleisher, 1967, p. Further,bureaucracies tend to respond slowly to changes in an entity's externalenvironment. 1245). The numerous organizations play a vitally important role in Swedishsociety. But any self-respecting cat arches his back when histerritory is invaded. Tony Blair's kittens. Conservative politicians like Ian Gilmour, who lament thecollapse of manufacturing, or the CBI's Howard Davis, who is effectivelyBritain's spokesman for industry, miss the point that the continuingsupremacy of their politics in power requires an ever-shrinkingmanufacturing base. Standard operatingprocedures cause activities to be performed in a predictable and routineway. Analysis of the Issue The class model assumes divisions within a society along the lines ofthose present in British society, in which the working class, as anunderclass, is pitted against a business class and an upper classaristocracy. To most North Americansand many Britons, Sweden appears to be socialist. 59). Thepolitics of industrial cleansing courses through the bloodstream of modernToryism. New York: David McKay Company,Inc. 2 -21). D. Oddlyenough, few of these parties have posted as spotty an electoral record ashave the British Labour Party. Two and a quarter million workerswere expelled from industrial jobs between 198 and 199 -equivalent to themissing vote that Labour looked for in the last two elections. References Dye, T. They areoccasionally irritated because they know that proposals and complaintsshould be channeled through the appropriate organizations if they are towin support. The Social Democrats have since formed the government onceagain. The British Trade Unions Congress (TUC) is a different kettle of fish. When the Tories are in power, the TUC has the cohesion tomake itself felt by the government, although its influence on policy makingderives from the ability of the TUC to make life difficult for Torygovernments. Vail. Pontusson, J. A bureaucracy is an entity characterized by continuousofficial functions that are bound by prescribed rules. The new Sweden. (1987). This research examines the inability of the British Labour Party toattain a status as the natural party of government in Britain in theperiod since 1945 as a comparison with success of the Swedish SocialDemocratic Party in attaining a comparable status in Sweden. These seven characteristics areas follows: 1. Domestically, Sweden has a social democratic orientation, and has hadfor decades (Pontusson, 1992, pp. High taxation levels resulted inthe election of a conservative coalition government in 1991; however, theSocial Democrats remained the largest single party in parliament with 138of the 31 seats, or 44.5 percent of the parliamentary membership (Hunter,1995, p. True, some unionleaders have been snarling ... The country has the highestlevel of governmentally funded social services of any western country. They are proud of their system because they believe thatthe organizations have contributed to developing what they consider to be amore rational and more realistic society than others. (1993, October). affiliatedassociation. Today the wealth of Sweden isprobably distributed more evenly than that of any Western democracy. At this point he may well join an automobile association, asports club, a professional club, and a political party" (Fleisher, 1967,pp. 4. 42). Persons within a bureaucratic organization bothgain and hold their positions through demonstrated competence in theperformance of the duties associated with those positions. Even though Swedes often refer to their country as "OrganizationSweden," most of them have only a hazy picture of the vital role of theorganizations. 24-31). Monterey,California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. An argument made frequently is that, from astructural perspective, the British Labour Party has had the benefits ofthe social environment necessary to permit the party to develop a positionas the natural party of government in Britain, but has not been able toattain such a status (Pontusson, 1992, p. Of Sweden's less than eight million inhabitants, over 9 percent whoearn a living belong either to an industrial, a white-collar, aprofessional, or an employer's union. 8). Membership in the appropriate organizations is accepted as a naturalpart of life in a disciplined democracy. Economist, 336, 62. This action provides abureaucracy with the characteristic of continuity. Uncommon democracies. Power, in this context, represents the prerogative to make thedecisions as to who gets what, when, and how. A people of shared values-including bureaucratic values. 8). In Britain, the Labour Party is held torepresent working class Britons, while the Conservative Party is held torepresent the business and professional classes, and to a lesser extent,the aristocracy. The hierarchy is a chainof command wherein each lower office is under the control and supervisionof a higher office. In Pemple, G. Invalids suffering from diabetes,cerebral palsy, rheumatism, and mentally retarded children, childrensuffering from the effects of thalidomide are among the many groups withspecific common interests that have their own nationwide organizations,which also act as pressure groups. They are inclined tojoin organizations that protect their material interests, that help themget somewhere, and that act as pressure groups. The class model, in contrast to the elite pluralist model, placesdifferent socioeconomic groups in competition and conflict with one another(diZerega, 1991, pp. Elites and democratic theory: Insights from the self-organizing model. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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