For many decades, Sweden was seen as a model welfare state. Only with the onset of economic problems in the 1990s have successive governments felt compelled to curb social spending and abandon the goal of full employment. This book is about the changes introduced and the political, institutional and cultural resistance they encountered. Detailed accounts of changes to welfare services and benefits are included alongside specialist chapters devoted to areas where Sweden itself has claimed to be something of a leader - the care of the elderly, gender equality, employment issues and substance.