Economic crime in Sweden

Abstract

This article describes and explains the conflicts surrounding economic crime in Sweden between 1975 and 1997. A theoretical approach is employed that views social problems as collective outcomes arising from a clash of interests between different actors. The empirical material comprises public documents and the method employed is a form of qualitative content analysis. The study focuses on the views and positions of the actors concerned in relation to central themes of conflict, such as the phenomenon's definition, extent, victims and harm, causes and countermeasures. Major changes over time have seen the welfare state experiencing competition from the market system as the most prominent category of victimization, and the regulation/control strategy giving way to a strategy of deregulation and self-regulation. The two dominant constellations of actors are an offensive leftist bloc and a more conservative centre-right bloc. These groups represent dominant frames—the social justice/solidarity frame and the deregulation/tax-cut frame—that have served as an ideological infrastructure giving meaning to the economic crime discourse. A clear politicization and polarization have incorporated the economic crime issue into one of 20th-century politics' most well-established conflict patterns. The article concludes with a few comparative impressions based on the limited international literature available in this area.