Why Sweden Suspended Military Service : The Policy Process from 1990 to 2009
(2019) In Lund Political Studies- Abstract
- For little more than a century military service enacted Swedish values of equality, solidarity and doing one's part for the public good. What started out at as mere military recruitment policy in 1901 developed into an institutional feature of Swedish society: appreciated by society, the conscripts, the Armed Forces and by political parties to the left and the right. In a pursuit to preserve military service in the post-cold war period, governments to the left and the right initiated a reform in the early 1990s. In contrast to the political objective it leads parliament to suspend military service in 2009. This is surprising, given that the literature suggests that well-entrenched institutions are change-resistant. Other countries in... (More)
- For little more than a century military service enacted Swedish values of equality, solidarity and doing one's part for the public good. What started out at as mere military recruitment policy in 1901 developed into an institutional feature of Swedish society: appreciated by society, the conscripts, the Armed Forces and by political parties to the left and the right. In a pursuit to preserve military service in the post-cold war period, governments to the left and the right initiated a reform in the early 1990s. In contrast to the political objective it leads parliament to suspend military service in 2009. This is surprising, given that the literature suggests that well-entrenched institutions are change-resistant. Other countries in Europe had already swapped from conscripted to professional armies. The explanatory concepts in this literature do however not apply to the Swedish case. Why, then, did Sweden suspend military service in 2009? This dissertation introduces two concepts that help us understand the Swedish outcome. First, the reform sets in motion a deinstitutionalisation of military service. This is a process where the features that had institutionalised military service in the 1900s are taken away in the 1990s and early 2000s. This process is driven by strategic adjustments in Sweden's two largest political parties: the Social Democratic Party (SAP) and the Moderate Party. In the post-cold war period both have issue-reputations in defence policy that enable and constrain them in a new governing context. In a struggle to reinvent themselves both parties adjust their issue-reputations by: (a) disassociating themselves from reputations that constrain them; (b) elevating reputations that enable them; and (c) adopting the enabling reputations of the opposing party.
After two decades of this behaviour military service has none of the features that once enabled its institutional reproduction and effective functioning. This is why military service was suspended in 2009. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- I lite drygt ett århundrade gestaltade den svenska värnplikten värderingar som jämlikhet, solidaritet och idén om att man skulle ”göra sin plikt och kräva sin rätt”. Värnplikten började som en rekryteringsmodell 1901, men förvandlades under 1900-talet till en institution i sin egen rätt: uppskattad av pliktskyldiga, Försvarsmakten, samhället, Högern och Vänstern. När det kalla kriget tog slut påbörjade regeringar till Höger och Vänster en modernisering av värnplikten, i syfte att bevara den. Men i motsats till de politiska intentionerna avskaffas värnplikten, 2009.
Enligt en inflytelserik teoribildning inom samhällsvetenskapen är detta förvånande, eftersom starka institutioner – som värnplikten i Sverige – anses mycket svåra att... (More) - I lite drygt ett århundrade gestaltade den svenska värnplikten värderingar som jämlikhet, solidaritet och idén om att man skulle ”göra sin plikt och kräva sin rätt”. Värnplikten började som en rekryteringsmodell 1901, men förvandlades under 1900-talet till en institution i sin egen rätt: uppskattad av pliktskyldiga, Försvarsmakten, samhället, Högern och Vänstern. När det kalla kriget tog slut påbörjade regeringar till Höger och Vänster en modernisering av värnplikten, i syfte att bevara den. Men i motsats till de politiska intentionerna avskaffas värnplikten, 2009.
Enligt en inflytelserik teoribildning inom samhällsvetenskapen är detta förvånande, eftersom starka institutioner – som värnplikten i Sverige – anses mycket svåra att förändra. Samtidigt avskaffade flera länder i Europa värnplikten under 90-talet och tidigt 00-tal. Förklaringsbegreppen i den litteraturen kan däremot inte anses vara giltiga för det svenska fallet.
Varför avskaffades värnplikten i Sverige, 2009? Avhandlingen besvarar frågan genom att använda begreppen ”deinstitutionalisation” och ”issue-reputation”. Deinstitutionalisation är en process i vilken delar som en gång verkat för att institutionalisera värnplikten under 1900-talet successivt försvinner under 90-talet och 00-talet. Det är en process som drivs i lika delar av socialdemokraterna och moderaterna. I en strävan om att förnya sin politik justerar de sin försvarspolitik genom att: a) överge tidigare profilfrågor som upplevs förhindra förnyelse; b) prioritera tidigare profilfrågor som upplevs medge förnyelse; c) samt anamma profilfrågor från det motsatta partiet som upplevs medge förnyelse.
Efter två årtionden av detta beteende har värnplikten inga av de delar som en gång förvandlade värnplikten från en rekryteringsmodell till en institution i sin egen rätt. Därför avskaffades värnplikten 2009. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/88041246-f910-4af1-bde6-ff19a96a5eb8
- author
- Lindberg, Mårten LU
- supervisor
-
- Jan Teorell LU
- opponent
-
- Professor Engelbrekt, Kjell, The Swedish Defence University
- organization
- alternative title
- Varför Sverige avskaffade värnplikten : Den politiska processen från 1990 till 2009
- publishing date
- 2019-05-17
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Military service, deinstitutionalisation, Sweden, Moderate Party, Social Democratic Party, issue-reputation
- in
- Lund Political Studies
- issue
- 198
- pages
- 240 pages
- publisher
- Lund University
- defense location
- Eden auditorium, Paradisgatan 5H, Lund
- defense date
- 2019-06-07 10:15:00
- ISSN
- 0460-0037
- ISBN
- 978-91-7895-101-7
- 978-91-7895-102-4
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 88041246-f910-4af1-bde6-ff19a96a5eb8
- date added to LUP
- 2019-05-17 08:52:59
- date last changed
- 2019-09-08 14:29:19
@phdthesis{88041246-f910-4af1-bde6-ff19a96a5eb8,
abstract = {{For little more than a century military service enacted Swedish values of equality, solidarity and doing one's part for the public good. What started out at as mere military recruitment policy in 1901 developed into an institutional feature of Swedish society: appreciated by society, the conscripts, the Armed Forces and by political parties to the left and the right. In a pursuit to preserve military service in the post-cold war period, governments to the left and the right initiated a reform in the early 1990s. In contrast to the political objective it leads parliament to suspend military service in 2009. This is surprising, given that the literature suggests that well-entrenched institutions are change-resistant. Other countries in Europe had already swapped from conscripted to professional armies. The explanatory concepts in this literature do however not apply to the Swedish case. Why, then, did Sweden suspend military service in 2009? This dissertation introduces two concepts that help us understand the Swedish outcome. First, the reform sets in motion a deinstitutionalisation of military service. This is a process where the features that had institutionalised military service in the 1900s are taken away in the 1990s and early 2000s. This process is driven by strategic adjustments in Sweden's two largest political parties: the Social Democratic Party (SAP) and the Moderate Party. In the post-cold war period both have issue-reputations in defence policy that enable and constrain them in a new governing context. In a struggle to reinvent themselves both parties adjust their issue-reputations by: (a) disassociating themselves from reputations that constrain them; (b) elevating reputations that enable them; and (c) adopting the enabling reputations of the opposing party. <br/> After two decades of this behaviour military service has none of the features that once enabled its institutional reproduction and effective functioning. This is why military service was suspended in 2009.}},
author = {{Lindberg, Mårten}},
isbn = {{978-91-7895-101-7}},
issn = {{0460-0037}},
keywords = {{Military service; deinstitutionalisation; Sweden; Moderate Party; Social Democratic Party; issue-reputation}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{05}},
number = {{198}},
publisher = {{Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Political Studies}},
title = {{Why Sweden Suspended Military Service : The Policy Process from 1990 to 2009}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/64654319/Why_Sweden_Suspended_Military_Service.pdf}},
year = {{2019}},
}