Welfare State and Social Policy in Sweden

15 credits

The aim of the course is to develop a basic understanding of the Swedish welfare state and of Swedish social policies in a historical and comparative perspective. The course provides an introduction into the historical genesis, the structural shape and the socioeconomic outcomes of the Swedish welfare state and of major areas of Swedish social policy. Another theme concerns the new challenges and current developments in the Swedish model and in particular areas of public welfare provision. Moreover, the course also focuses on cross-national variations in the welfare state, and how the Swedish case can be characterized in comparison to other capitalist industrialized countries. Besides this, the course also introduces central concepts and theoretical approaches in welfare state research, including comparative typologies, as tolls for systematic descriptions and analyses.

The course is combined with national-, international- and exchange students.

Växjö – the student city with a living campus

Just south of Växjö’s city centre you will find Linnaeus University’s campus. In Växjö, many students choose to live on campus.

Here you will have five minutes’ walking distance to friends, restaurants, lecture rooms, gym, grocery store, the University Library, nature trails, and student pubs. If you live in another part of Växjö, you can quickly get to the university by bus or bicycle.

With its 90 000 inhabitants, Växjö is one of the fastest growing cities in Sweden. Here you will find the famous Småland entrepreneurship spirit and a lot of companies, for instance within the IT industry – perfect for when you are looking for an internship position or a job. Växjö is also a picturesque city where you are always close to forests and water.

Learn more about our student cities.

Students in house M

Build your own degree

Did you know that you can combine single-subject courses to build your own degree? In this way, you can design your own degree based on your interests and the career you are aiming for. This does not apply to all courses so make sure to check with a study counsellor at the faculty. Learn more about how you can build your own degree and become unique on the labour market.