Central State and Homelessness Policies in Sweden: New Ways of Governing

Abstract

While it is generally agreed that the state has'rolled back'from direct intervention in housing policy in many European countries, this paper attempts to demonstrate that in Sweden the central state still exerts power over issues such as homelessness, though the way it exercises that power has taken new forms. Government by'discourse','projects'and'non-decision'has largely replaced more traditional forms of intervention by means of'legislation','regularization'and'subventions'. The paper focuses on the central state's approach to initiatives against homelessness, with special regard to its stance in the power relationship between those who control housing and those who lack it. Starting from a general understanding that homelessness is not a necessary feature of a modern nation, and that it would be possible for the central state to do away with it, my aim is to identify and discuss structures and processes that hinder its abolition.Homelessness, policy, housing allocation, non-decision, project funding, political translation, Swedish state,

Analysis of Factors Influencing Reported Housing Maintenance Costs in Sweden’s Public and Private Rental Sectors

“…The rent is inclusive of heating and hot water and only about 1.2 % of the dwellers in flats in Sweden have individual metering and charging (Siggelsten, Olander 2013). There are no laws governing the allocation of private rental dwellings and the selection of tenants in this sector has become more restrictive (Sahlin 2004;Scanlon et al 2014: 100).…”

Responsibilisation at the Margins of Welfare Services

“…In addition, the state's role as a provider of services has decreased and the roles as an allocator of resources and as a manager of contracts have increased as service provision has been handed more to the commercial and third-sector actors (Bennett 2008: 465). For instance, as a result of major changes in housing policy in Sweden during the 1990s (Sahlin 2004), the responsibility for providing housing for the homeless was transferred from the state and municipal housing companies to the local social authorities. The state has thus "rolled back", but it has not ceased to govern or "steer".…”

Crime and criminology in Sweden

“…Göteborg University's Sociology Department has produced a substantial amount of research in two main areas, economic crime (for example , Engdahl 2008;Larsson, 2003;Lindgren, 2002) and police-related research (Björk, 2005;Peterson, 2010;Wahlström, 2011), although studies have also focused on homelessness (Sahlin, 2004), violent crime, and crime victims and victim support (Hansen Löfstrand, 2009). Research in Göteborg is dominated by qualitative studies.…”