Abstract
Sweden has traditionally been characterized by a high degree of centralization, although the municipalities have a long tradition of self-government and are relatively large and independent by international standards, especially after the municipal mergers in the post-war period (Norén Bretzer, 2010). By comparison, the regional level in Sweden is sometimes referred to as a ‘regional mess’ (Stegman McCallion, 2008). This is because Sweden has a more complex regional political-administrative situation compared with most other European countries, with different regional organizations and reforms (Loughlin et al., 2011). The directly elected regional level is the county council (landsting), which is mainly responsible for health care.
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© 2013 Linda Berg and Henrik Oscarsson
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Berg, L., Oscarsson, H. (2013). Sweden: From Mid-term County Council Elections to Concurrent Elections. In: Dandoy, R., Schakel, A.H. (eds) Regional and National Elections in Western Europe. The Comparative Territorial Politics series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137025449_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137025449_12
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-43890-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-02544-9
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