Client organizations in a corporatist country: pensioners' organizations and pension policy in Sweden

Abstract

In this article, the relevance of Paul Pierson's argument about the important role played by organizations for welfare clients is scrutinized. This is done through a case-study of pensioners' organizations in Sweden and their influence on pension policy between 1980 and 2002. In terms of Pierson's argument, Sweden is considered to be a least likely candidate, because its strong labour movement is expected to crowd out other organized interests from the policy process. The investigation reveals, however, that pensioners' organizations have been able to exert influence on pension policy on different occasions. Their influence is explained by their high rating as an organization, which enables them to represent an important group of voters. These findings contradict previous research suggesting that client organizations are weak, particularly in corporatist countries with a strong labour movement, and demonstrate that Pierson's argument also has relevance in such countries.

From classic to modern corporatism. Interest group representation in Danish public committees in 1975 and 2010

“…Also, corporatist institutions have been identified in unexpected empirical settings and with the involvement of a wider set of groups than usually expected (Baccaro 2003;Feltenius 2007). Table 1 provides an overview of hypothesized adaptation and specifies the elements that may have changed in response to broader societal developments.…”

“…We draw on a small literature that points to the existence of corporative arrangements in unexpected situations and incorporation of a wider set of groups than traditionally assumed possible (Baccaro 2003;Feltenius 2007). While some aspects of corporatism have been severely affected by societal changes since the 1970s, other aspects may have survived (Molina and Rhodes 2002).…”

The Emergence of Pensioners’ Parties in Contemporary Europe

“…Feltenius (2007) finds that in Sweden, a country with relatively strong corporatist structures, pensioners' interest organizations were effective in lobbying despite lacking formal representation on tripartite bodies. In neighbouring Slovenia, one of the few Central and East European countries with corporatist arrangements, the Slovene pensioners' federation ZDUS has likewise had little difficulty accessing Slovenia's national tripartite body, the Economic and Social Council.…”

Protests against Welfare Retrenchment: Healthcare Restructuring inSweden

“…There seems to be at least one clear exception to that rule, however: pensioner organizations. Lindbom () and Feltenius (, ) have shown that pensioner organizations are highly influential in Sweden, a corporatist country with a strong labour movement. The unions were far less able to protect their interests than pensioner organizations during the Swedish economic crisis of the 1990s: pension cutbacks were far smaller than cutbacks in unemployment benefit.…”