Sweden's Social Model Buckles Under The Death Of Social Uniformity

Writing this from New York City, from research conducted studying in London and visiting Stockholm, immigration seems to be the fons et origo of too many contentious conversations around the world. From debates about birthright citizenship in the US to the Summer 2024 riots in the UK, discussions surrounding the rights of immigrants have been sizzling in Western societies and governments - especially the rights of those coming from culturally different societies such as the Middle East.

Scandinavia, known for its perfectly balanced socio-economic welfare model with a stable economy and progressive society, is facing some of the biggest challenges when it comes to immigration today. Specifically, Sweden is struggling to extend their high quality of life to those migrating to enjoy the same benefits. Former Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt encouraged Swedes to “open their hearts” to immigrants in 2014. But the flood of immigration that followed has revealed the vulnerability that the Swedish Model is based on: social uniformity.  

In April 2024, the Swedish parliament amended the Police Act, allowing authorities to establish “security zones.” These are territories that the police can set up which last for two weeks, within which they can conduct body and vehicle searches without a warrant or suspicion of crime. Instead, the police can profile individuals based on things such as clothing or symbols that could be associated with gangs. 

As in every single such instance throughout history, the ambiguity of what warrants a search lays down the foundation for racial profiling and discrimination. And of course, the zones will never be random, especially given the formation of "vulnerable zones.” These are also somewhat peculiarly known as “no-go zones” - of which there are 61 - which are characterised by their high rates of crime, low socio-economic status and majority migrant demographic. 

These zones form mostly as a result of immigrants naturally grouping together with those of a similar background to avoid the obstacles of integrating into Swedish society: learning the language and adopting their values. In Sweden, more so than in many other countries, this lack of integration can be detrimental to their world-famous welfare model. 

Although the security zones are said to be in place to combat gang violence and find weapons, the underlying purpose is to desperately cling to social homogeneity which has persisted in the country throughout its history. This is now under threat following increased levels of immigration from places where the culture clashes with that of Sweden. A prominent example would be the clash between the traditional Swedish push for gender equality vs. some Muslim values regarding the role of women. 

Historically, Sweden was never a place migrants of any kind passed through nor would choose to go, given the harsh weather conditions as well as the long trek to get there. This meant that after the First World War, it didn’t receive anywhere near as many immigrants as France for example (Paris alone received two million immigrants in the interwar period while Sweden saw less than 10,000 immigrants annually). 

This lack of immigrants gave Sweden a head start in establishing its welfare model, something they could do more easily with the uniform values of the population. For example, values such as egalitarianism were maintained thanks to the social homogeneity present in the country, allowing for the development of high levels of trust and thus the establishment of a system that enables citizens to pay heavy taxes in return for social benefits that rival most countries worldwide. 

This system has had its successes and many would now consider Sweden to be a role model for others to aspire to: Sweden’s Gini coefficient (a measure of income equality and wealth distribution, the lower the number the more equal) was 26.8 in 2021, compared to the European average of 32.5 that same year, making Sweden a leader in income equality.

So now, with planes and heaters available to the general population, there is nothing stopping the influx of immigrants. The Scandinavian idyll is nothing if not magnetic to those looking for a better life.

Sweden’s immigration policy has been focusing on enabling people to “contribute to Swedish society” (according to a statement from the Government Offices of Sweden in January 2025). As part of this policy, Sweden has increased the requirements for acquiring citizenship, tightened controls on who can enter and released a government statement explicitly saying that “Those who do not wish to become part of this community should not come to Sweden.” These actions have resulted in criticism from Amnesty International for giving way to “breaches of multiple human rights, including non-discrimination, the right to a fair and secure asylum procedure and the right to family reunification.” 

So the supposed utopia that is Sweden has suffered some cracks in its façade, one constructed using a material that is no longer available in the modern globalised world order: social homogeneity. To give credit where credit is due, the government has acknowledged these cracks and is now undertaking a “paradigm shift” which requires “extensive reforms” but would be “sustainable in the long term.” These reforms include only giving work permits to those earning a monthly salary of more than 80% of the median Swedish salary (around $3,500 a month in 2024) and introducing a controversial “snitch law,” forcing public sector workers to report anyone who is undocumented. 

To be sure, Sweden is a sovereign state and therefore has every right to close off its borders or be hostile to all those they deem incompatible with their model. However, given that Sweden prides itself on its innovative successes in fields such as the sciences, it should be extending this mindset to social policy and their welfare model in order to live up to the expectation they have set up for themselves. Today the Swedish government, along with its society, should be rebuilding, adapting and reconstructing their model to meet the demands set in place by globalisation instead of grasping onto something that is fading further and further into the past. 

Image: Wikimedia Commons/Tage Olsin

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