This book seeks to gain a better understanding of the paradoxical relationship between the alleged need of European labour markets to become more flexible and the way in which national policies pursue this aim without jeopardising existing high standards of income and employment security....

'Whatever happened to the Swedish model? Once the prime example of a Nordic welfare state, Sweden's labour market is now a highly individualized competitive arena. With attention to detail as well as global trends, this important book describes the dismantling of the Swedish welfare state across...