Reinventing Swedish social democracy: Vital Challenges and Major Policy Choices ahead

After the 2022 elections, Sweden's Social Democrats recognized the need to reshape their policies to meet future challenges. Party leader Magdalena Andersson emphasizes the need for critical self-reflection and, together with party secretary Tobias Baudin, she identified four key areas for policy development: economic policy, social security, crime and segregation, and climate.

What picture has so far arisen from this internal reflection? And what seems to be missing? The author, Mats Engström’s analysis is, that a deeper rethink of economic and fiscal policy might be needed. Without such a shift, he argues, it will be difficult to improve welfare policies and tackle social inequalities. The party may win the 2026 election on the basis of voters' distrust of the right-wing government, but will struggle to convince voters in 2030 and beyond.

The report is based on interviews with party leaders, prominent figures and the party's own election analysis. Engström outlines some of the key policy choices the party faces as it looks ahead to 2030.

Download the report to find out more about the future of Swedish social democracy.