Swedish culture

La Suède a une longue tradition de musique : skillingtryck, Bellman, Monica Zetterlund, danse folklorique, Evert Taube, mais surtout plus récemment October ouTimbuktu. Allez je tez un oeuil sur youtube pour connaître le phénomène du ragga suèdois : http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=wZZwUHpNOM0

La Suède est un pays chantant, même si avec nos vues de Latins ont peut être un peu effrayé au début par cette langue…on se rend compte très vite qu’elle monte dans les aigus et peut redescendre très vite dans les graves, ce qui lui donne du rythme. Donc rien de monotone et les différents accents suédois sont là pour affirmer la forte culture de cette langue. Les Suédois forment un peuple chantant ! Lors des « sittnings » (les fameux repas avant de partir en « Nations » vous apprendrez à chanter les différents chants typiquement suédois. Le pays compte deux orchestres de renom, l’Orchestre philharmonique royal de Stockholm et l’Orchestre symphonique de Göteborg.

La Suède a gagné l'Eurovision quatre fois :

1974 : ABBA

1984 : Herreys

1991 : Carola Haggkvist avec la chanson Fångad av en stormvind

1999 : Charlotte Nilsson-Perrelli avec la chanson Take Me To Your Heaven

La Suède regroupe également de nombreux groupes musicaux qui ont eu un succès international tel que Ace of Base en 1993, Roxette et the Cardigans plus récemment avec Lovefool. On peut nommer Eagle-Eye Cherry, Neneh Cherry et Titiyo.

La Suède était le troisième pays exportateur de musique, derrière les États-Unis et l'Angleterre. Vous verrez que les émissions de chants et de danses se succèdent à la télé, à chaque nouvelle émission de ce type un énorme tapage médiatique est fait et l’on ressent se désir de monter sur scène.

Si vraiment l’éléctro vous manque je vous conseille d’aller faire un tour dans les multiples club de Copenhague ou bien tout simplement le plus grand club de Scandinavie, qui se situe juste à côté de la gare de Malmö.

En ce qui concerne la nourriture vous apprendrez à déguster les fameux Kötebullar (boulettes de viandes) ou les crayfish (langoustes) avec différentes sauces, le hareng est aussi servi à base de différentes sauces…vous vous rendrez compte que la nourriture typiquement suédoise n’est pas très vaste. Les restaurants typiquement suédois sont d’ailleurs quasi-inexistants, et lorsque vous demandez à un suédois qu’est-ce qui est vraiment typique il aura lui-même du mal à vous répondre. La nourriture d’origine latine et les fast-foods se sont donc fortement développés dans ce pays.

Sweden has a long musical tradition: skillingtryck, Bellman, Monica Zetterlund, folkloric dance, Evert Taube, but nowadays October or Timbuktu, let’s look at the following link, you will see the new star of raga in Sweden: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=wZZwUHpNOM0

Sweden is a singing country, even with our Latin insight this language can scary us at the start…but we see quickly this language goes straight towards high-pitched and fall down in the low-pitched faster, which gives movements. So nothing monotonous and the different Swedish accent remind us the strong Swedish culture. Swedish are singer! During the “Sittnings”( the famous dinner before to go in Nations) you will learn to sing typical swedish song, and do not be shy you will not have the choice.

Sweden won four times the Eurovision:

1974: ABBA with the song Waterloo

1884: Herreys with the song Diggi-Loo-Diggi-Ley

1991: Charlotte Nilsson-Perrelli with the song Take Me To Your Heaven

Sweden joins many bands with an intenational success as Ace of Base in 1993, Roxette and the Cardigans recently with Lovefool. We can named as well Eagle-Eye Cherry and Titiyo.

Sweden was the third country to export its music across the world, just behind UK. You will that show musical and dancing are quite common. For each new show we can see a lot of advertisement in town and we can feel the desire to everyone to go to the show.

Swedish Electronic music and electoacoustic are well known because of Joakim Sandgren. But if you really miss electro music I advise you to go in Copenhagen or directly to the bigger Scandinavian club which is in Malmö just close to the train station.

What’s about the food?

Here you will learn to eat the Kötebullar (a kind of meatballs) or the crayfish with different dress, and of course the different ways to eat the kipper…You will see the Swedish food is not so wide. Typically Swedish restaurant are almost unobtainable. When you ask ton a Swedish what is typical even him does not know what answer. Latin food and fast-foods are well developed in this country.

Cities, Population, Communication

Cities and lodging

Distance between the most important Swedish cities: Malmö-Stockholm: 619 km
Malmö-Göteborg: 276 km
Göteborg-Stockholm: 484 km
Stockholm-Luleå: 958 km

Total population: 9,011,000 persons

Population in major cities (including suburbs): Stockholm: 1, 873,000
Göteborg : 872,000
Malmö : 599,000

About 90% of Sweden’s inhabitants live in communities with more than 2,000 residents. The most densely populated areas lie in the triangle formed by the three largest cities – Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö – and along the Baltic coastline north of the capital. The interior of Norrland is very sparsely populated, which creates problems in supplying adequate services and transportation facilities to its inhabitants.

By means of heavy government subsidies, the country’s housing stock has been modernized very rapidly, and nearly all inhabitants live in homes which are technically very well equipped, even in the countryside. Nearly half of the housing stock consists of single-family homes, but apartment buildings predominiate in larger cities.

Over a long period of history, Swedish farmers lived together in small villages with common grazing lands and allotments in common croplands. During the 18th and 19th centuries the central government implemented a major series of reforms that divided up the commons, brought together the scattered allotments of each farming family and moved their farmhouse to their “new” consolidated property. These reforms accelerated the technical development of Swedish agriculture but also had social consequences.

An abundance of second homes is characteristic of Sweden. There are large areas of recently built summer cottages along the coasts and lakes, especially near the three largest cities, but city dwellers have also acquired abandoned crofts and small farms. Construction is regulated to ensure that beaches and other valuable natural areas are accessible to everyone.

Communications

Good transportation and communications systems have always been vital to a country of Sweden’s size and sparse population. The central government that emerged in the 16th century organized the country’s road network and transportation system. For centuries, maritime shipping was dominant, with Stockholm as the main Baltic port. During the 17th century, Göteborg (Gothenburg) was established as an exporting harbor. Exports of timber led to the creation of ports along the Norrland coast.

In the mid-19th century, the Swedish government built a nationwide network of railroad trunk lines. The railroads and new steelmaking processes made it possible to begin mining the large high-phosphorus ore deposits of the north. Hydroelectric power was transmitted from the major waterfalls of Norrland to industrial plants and large cities further south. Nuclear power plants at four locations along the southern and central Swedish coasts have supplemented this north-to-south electric power system. Following a decision by Parliament, one of these nuclear power plants (located near the coast of Denmark) was shut down in 2005.

There is an extensive network of highways, with freeways (motorways) following the triangle between the three largest cities and continuing to the north. Remote rural areas usually have very good main highways, often constructed as government-financed relief work projects. In 2000, Sweden and Denmark inaugurated a 16 km (10 mile) long bridge and tunnel across the Öresund straits between Malmö and Copenhagen, the Danish capital. The domestic air traffic network is well developed, and Scandinavian cooperation has resulted in good airline connections with the whole world.

Most Swedish families have their own car. Many cities have an extensive network of bus lines, operated and subsidized by municipal governments and county councils. Large cities have such additional transit amenities as subways, streetcars and commuter trains, which are coordinated with other local transportation facilities. The fixed telecommunications network has been in place for many decades, and today there are also 7 million mobile telephones. Most people in Sweden, except some retirees, have access to the Internet.

Economic geography

Although nowadays less than 3% of Sweden’s labor force works in agriculture and less than 10% of the country’s area consists of farmland, agriculture is still an important sector of the Swedish economy. The largest agricultural acreage and the highest productivity are found in southernmost Sweden, where specialization in grain and pork production predominates, and in the plains of central Sweden. In Norrland, the production of fodder crops, meat and milk predominates. Farming takes place as far north as the border with Finland, where an intensive summer season and fertile river sediments provide good conditions for growing vegetables.

Nearly all Swedish farms are operated by individual families and are relatively small, but in the most important agricultural districts, larger units also exist. Despite a sharp reduction in the number of farms and crop acreage, production has increased, and with the exception of a few products, Sweden is self-sufficient in agriculture. However, Sweden’s membership in the European Union since 1995 has led to increased two-way trade with other EU countries in agricultural products and foodstuffs.

Of Sweden’s forest land, 10% (mostly in the north) is owned by Swedish state companies, while private companies own 40% (mainly in north central Sweden) and individual owners, mainly farmers, own 50%.

Fishing is a small sector of the national economy nowadays. Because fishing zones have been redrawn by international agreements, Sweden has lost some of its traditional fishing areas in the North Sea and the emphasis has shifted to the Baltic Sea.

Mining has diminished in relative importance, but in northern Sweden the iron ore fields of Kiruna are at the center of a railroad line from the Baltic steel mill center of Luleå and the ice-free Atlantic export harbor of Narvik, Norway.

Sweden’s rich natural resources – its forests, ore deposits and hydroelectric power – constitute the historical basis of its industrial economy, but the emphasis has shifted toward increasingly advanced products, often still based on such indigenous raw materials as timber and metals.

The timber and wood product industry is, of course, located close to its sources of raw material. The pulp and paper industry is often situated at the mouths of rivers running through forest regions — including a number along the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia and of Vänern, Sweden’s largest lake. Production is concentrated at large, efficient mills, nowadays also including units located in southern Sweden.

Sweden’s metal industry still follows a pattern from the days when water power and timberland (for charcoal fuel) determined the location of iron mills. Sweden’s metal industry is thus still concentrated in Bergslagen, where some smaller units face increasing competition from larger production sites abroad. The iron and steel mills in coastal Oxelösund and Luleå were built in the 20th century. Otherwise, metal-based industries are dispersed throughout southern and central Sweden and along the Norrland coast.

The automotive and aerospace industry has its main plants in south central Sweden (Göteborg, Trollhättan, Linköping, Södertälje). The electronics industry is concentrated in Stockholm and Västerås.

The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are important, especially in the university cities of east central Sweden and in Skåne, where the new bridge/tunnel across the Öresund has encouraged even closer links with similar companies in Denmark.

Distributive trade, transportation, administration and services comprise a larger percentage of the national economy than industry in terms of employees, but account for a small but increasing proportion of exports. This sector is concentrated mainly in major cities, especially Stockholm.

Population

Like the animal population, the first human beings are believed to have migrated into Scandinavia from the south after the ice cap withdrew northward, but some of the population, probably including the Sami people, came from the east.

About 1,000 years ago a central Swedish realm began to take shape, with its core in the fertile farmlands and waterways around Lake Mälaren. By the 16th century, when Sweden became a centralized state, the country had fewer than a million inhabitants within its present-day borders. During the 19th century, when Sweden enjoyed peace, the population began to grow rapidly. This resulted in a large wave of migration to the expanding forestry operations and wood product industry of Norrland, to industrial jobs in Swedish urban areas, as well as abroad to the cities and prairies of North America. Over a million of the country’s inhabitants emigrated during the period 1865–1914.

From an ethnic standpoint, Sweden has traditionally been a very homogeneous country. Swedish – a Germanic language – has historically been the mother tongue of nearly the entire population, and some 80% of the population belong to the Lutheran Church of Sweden. However, since World War II, the ethnic and religious composition of the population has changed and today roughly 12% of Swedish residents are foreign-born. Most immigrants have come from the neighboring Nordic countries, with which Sweden has a common labor market, and from elsewhere in Europe. For non-EU nationals, immigration is strictly regulated today but Sweden still accepts certain categories of immigrants and refugees.

In addition, Sweden has two minority groups of native inhabitants: the Finnish-speaking people of the northeast, along the Finnish border (about 30,000) and the Sami (Lapp) population of about 15,000. The Sami are scattered throughout the northern Swedish interior and in nearby northerly areas of Norway, Finland and Russia, numbering between 50,000 and 60,000 in all. Once a hunting and fishing people, they developed a reindeer herding system which they carry out very efficiently today, although most Sami in Sweden have other occupations. The Sami in Sweden have a Sami Parliament, the Sámediggi, which has decision-making authority on certain issues.

Geography, Climate, Natural scenery of Sweden

Geography

Despite its small population and large area, Sweden is a technologically advanced country with good infrastructure. It is characterized by its long coastlines, large forests and numerous lakes. Sweden is one of the countries on earth located furthest from the Equator. In terms of area it is similar to Spain, Thailand or California.

A land of ancient bedrock, Sweden was settled later than most countries; yet its national government has relatively old roots. By the 16th century Sweden had evolved into a strongly centralized nation, with Stockholm as its capital. The size of the country has changed over the centuries: Finland was part of Sweden until 1809. What is now southern and western Sweden was conquered in 1658 from the then Danish-Norwegian union. During certain periods Sweden also had provinces on the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, and even colonies in North America and the West Indies. In 1905, a nearly century-old union with Norway was dissolved, but since 1812 Sweden’s borders have been unchanged and the country has been spared from war since 1814.

Today the Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland), whose central portion is called Scandinavia, cooperate closely in many fields

Natural scenery, flora and fauna

Much of the Swedish landscape is dominated by coniferous forests, in southern Sweden often blended with such deciduous trees as birch and aspen. Deciduous forests (beech, oak) used to grow along the southern and south western coast but have been replaced by farmland, and in recent years also by planted coniferous forest. But these and other hardwoods such as linden, ash, maple and elm trees are found throughout southern Sweden up to the border of Norrland. Other vegetation follows largely the same geography. Because of their lime-rich bedrock and favourable local climate, Gotland, Öland and parts of the Scandinavian mountain range have an interesting flora that includes numerous varieties of orchids.

Sweden’s fauna has been determined by the climate and history of the period since the last Ice Age and by human settlement. The wolf, not long ago threatened with eradication, is now expanding its habitat across northern and central Sweden. This creates conflicts between nature conservationists and livestock owners. Bear and lynx populations are also increasing. Throughout the country are large numbers of moose (elk), roe deer, foxes and hares. The moose is a great prize for hunters but is also a traffic hazard. Hunting is closely regulated, and many species of animal are fully protected. Winter bird life in Sweden is dominated by a few species, but summer brings large numbers of migratory birds from more southerly climes.

With its long coasts and many lakes, Sweden has a rich variety of waterborne life, but environmental pollution has taken its toll. The Baltic seal now seems to be recovering, to the frustration of fishermen whose nets are ravaged by these animals. Fish species vary from the cod and mackerel of the deep, salty Atlantic to the salmon and pike found in the far less saline Gulf of Bothnia and in lakes and rivers. Herring and its smaller relative the Baltic herring used to be an important staple food, but today they are among the delicacies served on the Swedish smörgåsbord, a festive buffet.

To protect its sensitive natural scenery and examples of its cultural heritage, in 1910 Sweden was the first European country to establish national parks, mainly in the mountainous districts of Norrland but also elsewhere in the country. In this way, part of Europe’s last wilderness was saved from exploitation. Numerous nature reserves and cultural heritage areas have also been established to protect environments regarded as important to preserve.

Under the customary right of common access, anyone is entitled to hike through the forests and fields and pick berries and mushrooms, without asking the landowner’s permission, but this right also carries with it an obligation to respect natural scenery and private property.

Climate

Sweden’s climate is a function of the country’s location in the border zone between Arctic and warmer air masses as well as its proximity to the Atlantic, with its warm Gulf Stream.

Because of the tilt in the earth’s axis and its rotation around the sun, the polar regions experience an extreme contrast between long summer days and equally long winter nights. In the summer, sunlight lasts around the clock in the portion of Sweden located north of the N) the June°Arctic Circle, but even as far south as Stockholm (59 nights have only a few hours of semi-darkness.

Considering its geographic location Scandinavia enjoys a very favorable climate. Atlantic low pressure areas often blow in warmth and precipitation from the southwest. The weather is changeable; a few hours of rain are often followed by sunlight and wind the next day and then new rainfall. Given this type of weather, the temperature differences between night and day, summer and winter, are not so great – especially in western Sweden. Another type of weather, however, creates a more contrasting climate: high pressure zones to the east, which create stable, dry, sunny weather. This high pressure leads to hot spells in summer and cold ones in winter. The battle between the more temperate Atlantic weather and the more extreme continental weather is an important reality to farmers and vacationers. The difference between the weather in southern and northern Sweden is slight in the summer, when Norrland warms up because of its very long days.

Fall and winter arrive early in the northern interior, while the southern coastal areas enjoy long, mild fall weather. Norrland has colder and longer winters than southern Sweden, where there is often rain interspersed with snowfall.

The Swedish economy

In terms of area (450,000 km2 = 174,000 sq. mi.) Sweden is one of the largest countries in Europe, but in terms of population (9 million) it is a relatively small country. The Swedish economy is characterized by high internationalization, a broad business sector and a large element of public sector activity, especially in the service sector.

From poor agrarian country to leading industrial country

In the mid-1850s, Sweden was a poor agrarian country on the periphery of Europe. During the period from 1850 to 1970 the Swedish economy was the fastest growing in the world – along with Japan – and in 1970 Sweden was the world’s third richest country measured in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. A number of factors explain this leap, but among the most important were:
• Exports of such commodities as iron ore and timber products to Britain and the European continent
• Educational investments – by introducing public schools in 1842, Sweden achieved a broad, high knowledge level, sharing the top of the knowledge table with the United States during the second half of the 19th century
• Free enterprise – numerous entrepreneurs dared to take risks, especially due to the introduction of limited liability companies around the turn of the 20th century, which made it possible to start up businesses with a reasonable level of risk
• Expansion of infrastructure – notably rail roads – using foreign capital
• Liberalization measures – the entire guild system was scrapped in 1846
• Modern democracy – the parliament of four estates (nobility, clergy, burghers and peasants) ceased to exist in 1866
• An efficient, non-corrupt bureaucracy

The Swedish business sector was thus based on the commodities (plus the old metal-working and foundry village environments) that existed in the country. By the late 19th century, these materials were being turned into increasingly advanced products, laying the groundwork for a broad manufacturing sector that even today largely forms the foundation of the business sector and the economy. Demand from industry, together with household consumption, created a base for the private service sector. Rapid economic growth, very strong public finances and the growing welfare and re-distributive policy ambitions of Swedish governments after World War II led to rapid public sector growth starting in the mid-1960s.

At a very early stage, Sweden’s manufacturing sector became internationalized. This began with commodity exports, but due to the small size of the domestic market, industrial companies generally established operations abroad early. Even before World War I, for example, Ericsson had more than half of its employees abroad.

Internationalization regained momentum after World War II as trade was liberalized, while demand for Swedish goods rose sharply as Europe was being rebuilt.

A third wave of internationalizations occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, when Swedish industrial companies made very extensive direct investments, first in the U.S. and later the European Union (EU).

A fourth wave of internationalizations began somewhat later when a number of service industries (primarily in financial and business services) as well as the construction sector established operations abroad. On the whole, the Swedish business sector became among the most internationalized in the world. Until the 1990s, there was a major imbalance between extensive Swedish ownership abroad and generally low foreign ownership in Sweden.

Growth, deregulation, economic crises and bubbles – the economy after 1970

Starting in the mid-1970s, growth fell in Sweden as it did in many other Western European countries. The problems included tougher competition from other regions of the world, dysfunctional wage formation leading to inflation problems, high taxes and what many entrepreneurs perceived as an inhospitable corporate climate. High cost increases and fading competitiveness forced several devaluations of the Swedish krona during the 1970s and 1980s. These restored the short-term competitiveness of companies but worsened long-term inflation problems in the economy.

To improve the functioning of the economy, during the 1980s Sweden initiated the deregulation of many sectors. This began with the financial service market but continued with most transportation markets, the electricity market etc.. In portions of what was previously a public sector monopoly (for example schools and health-care), there are now some opportunities for private or cooperative activities. Other important structural reforms include stricter competition rules, an expenditure ceiling for the public sector, an independent Riksbank (Swedish central bank) plus of course Sweden’s membership first in the European Economic Area (EEA) and then from 1995 in the EU. In a 2003 referendum, however, the Swedes chose to say no to the Euro common currency.

During the mid-1980s economic growth again rose, driven by good exports. Overall, however, growth in the 1980s, as during the 1970s, was slower than the EU average. The deregulation of the credit market contributed to a very rapid increase in lending, largely focusing on the real estate sector. Sweden developed a banking and financial service bubble, which burst in the early 1990s in conjunction with an international economic slowdown and a restructuring of the Swedish tax system. As in most other countries, economic policy was restructured in order to prioritize low inflation. The economy entered its deepest crisis since the 1930s. Between 1990 and 1993, GDP fell by 5%, while employment declined by nearly 10%.

Falling GDP and lower employment resulted in a sharp deterioration in public sector finances. In 1994, the central government budget deficit exceeded 15% of GDP. Due to the combination of low growth during two decades and the severe economic crisis, Sweden fell from third place in the prosperity league (measured as GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power) in 1970 to ninth place in 1990. During its crisis, Sweden slid further to 16th place but later bounced back a bit in the rankings and stood at 13th place by 2004.

The crisis led to a battery of reforms and austerity measures but also to investments for the future, especially in universities and colleges. Combined with favourable international economic conditions and very rapid growth in the information technology (IT) sector, Sweden emerged from the crisis. After 1993, Swedish economic growth was well in line with that of the average for countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). However, the growth of the IT sector together with unrealistic valuations of IT shares on the stock market led to an IT bubble. When the bubble burst early in the 21st century, the result was a new economic slowdown and declining employment in the Telecom, IT and financial service sectors. Compared to the downturn of a decade earlier, however, this crisis was mild.

In recent years, economic growth has again gained momentum. Since 2002, the upturn in GDP has averaged 2.5% annually. In 2005, growth reached 2.7%. The upturn was initially led by exports, which have climbed by an average of nearly 6% annually in the past four years. Due to better profitability in manufacturing and rising capacity utilization, capital spending took over as the main engine of the economy during 2004. During 2005 the labour market also began to improve, leading to rising household income and consumption. Thus private consumption is expected to serve as an economic engine in the next few years.

Forecasts for 2008–2009

The prospects for the next couple of years still look bright. Most observers foresee GDP growth of more than 3% annually. One important effect of the structural changes that have occurred is that economic productivity is rapidly rising. However, this is not leading to job creation at the same pace as during previous economic upturns. Registered unemployment is thus expected to remain above 4%. Meanwhile the rapid increase in productivity implies that wage and price pressure in the economy will remain low. Inflation is thus expected to remain at today’s low year-on-year levels of around 1–2% in the foreseeable future.

A new economy

When the stock market’s IT bubble burst, many observers spoke of the ‘‘death of the new economy.’’ The truth is the opposite, however. During the past 15–20 years, the Swedish economy and the world in which it competes have fundamentally changed. We can point to a number of far-reaching changes, of which the most important
are:
• a new basic technology – IT – which permeates the whole society
• new deregulated and global markets
• the larger role of knowledge/intellectual capital in competitiveness
• new organizational structures in companies, larger foreign ownership and less production in Sweden
• new economic policies, with a focus on stable central government finances and low inflation

One of the most important changes during the past decade is that foreign ownership in the Swedish economy has increased sharply. In the early 1990s, about 10% of employees in the business sector worked at foreign-owned companies. By 2006 this share had risen to 23%. In many industries the foreign-owned share is above 30%, and even in previously ‘‘closed’’ sectors like real estate and construction, the proportion of foreign ownership is now rising at a rapid pace. This further strengthens Sweden’s economic dependence on other countries. Also contributing to increased internationalization and tougher competition was the enlargement of the EU in May 2004. Unlike most other EU countries, Sweden chose not to introduce any transitional rules.

Taken together, the structural transformation of the economy has thus further accelerated. This is most apparent in the manufacturing sector, in which traditional production in Sweden is declining, while service content is rising. Increased mechanization is leading to rapid productivity improvement, while employment is falling. Manufacturing declined from a 30% share of all jobs in 1965 to 16% in 2004. Instead, the knowledge-intensive service sector has shown the most expansion. Employment has also increased in the traditional household service sector, especially in distributive trades (retailing/wholesaling), while large portions of this sector have otherwise been restrained by weak long-term local government finances. Looking ahead, employment growth will largely occur in the service sector, while manufacturing will continue to play a major role in exports and thus indirectly in the growth of the service sector.

Population and labour force

In 2007, Sweden’s population was a bit above 9 million. Population growth during the 1990s was relatively slow and was mainly due to immigration. In recent years, however, the birth rate has again increased. Forecasts indicate that in 2020, Sweden will have a population of about 9.7 million. However, the big demographic challenge instead lies in the fact that the number of older people is now growing at a rapid pace. By 2020, the number of individuals over age 65 is expected to grow by 500,000, while the working-age population will only grow by 200,000.

Traditionally and in terms of political orientation, Sweden has had very high labour force participation. However, labour force participation fell sharply during the economic crisis of the early 1990s and since then has not returned to the old level. In 2005, it was 77%. One of the Government’s most important economic policy targets is to achieve an employment level of 80%. Unemployment was 5.9% in 2005 and is only expected to fall slowly in the near future.

Social welfare and taxes

Compared to most other countries, Sweden is characterized by an even distribution of income and wealth. This is due to a high tax burden and a large public sector. Tax-financed consumption in 2005 was equivalent to 28% of GDP and capital spending 3%, while the public sector redistributes another 22% or so of GDP in the form of various transfer payments. The flip side of Sweden’s ambitious social welfare and re-distribution policy is the country’s very heavy tax burden. The tax burden in Sweden is equivalent to 51% of GDP, which together with Denmark is the highest in the world.

Economic policy

Sweden’s official economic policy focuses on stable central government finances and low inflation. Other defining characteristics are a far-reaching redistribution policy, large ‘‘labour market policy’’ (government-financed employment training and job) programs aimed at keeping registered unemployment down and an ambition to preserve the Swedish high-tax system. There is an election in September 2006, but even if there is a change of government from the long-ruling Social Democrats to an alliance of non-socialist parties, the main features of today’s policies are expected to survive.

The Swedish krona traditionally had a fixed exchange rate. Since 1992, however, the currency has floated. Sweden’s Riksbank is completely independent of the Government. The objective of the Riksbank monetary policy is to keep inflation around 2% (within a band between 1–3%).

Links

www.konj.se
National Institute of Economic Research
www.riksbank.com
Swedish central bank, the Riksbank
www.scb.se
Statistics Sweden

Global presentation of Sweden

Sweden is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It has borders with Norway (west and north) and Finland (north-east). It has been a member of the European Union since January 1, 1995. Its capital city is Stockholm.

At 449,964 km2 (173,720 square miles), Sweden is the third largest country by area in Western Europe and fifth in all of Europe. Sweden has a low population density of 20 people per square kilometre, except in its metropolitan areas; 84% of the population lives in urban areas, which comprise only 1.3% of the country's total land area so that's about 1,300 people per square kilometre (3,400 per square mile) in urban areas. The inhabitants of Sweden enjoy a high standard of living, and the country is generally perceived as modern and liberal, with an organisational and corporate culture that is non-hierarchical and collectivist compared to its Anglo-Saxon counterparts. Nature conservation, environmental protection and energy efficiency are generally prioritized in policy making and embraced by the general public in Sweden.

Sweden has long been a major exporter of iron, copper and timber. Improved transportation and communication has allowed for the large scale utilization of remote natural assets, most notably timber and iron ore. In the 1890s, universal schooling and industrialization enabled the country to develop a successful manufacturing industry and by the twentieth century, Sweden emerged as a welfare state, consistently achieving high positions among the top-ranking countries in the UN Human Development Index (HDI). Sweden has a rich supply of water power, but lacks significant oil and coal deposits.

Modern Sweden emerged out of the Kalmar Union formed in 1397, and by the unification of the country by King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. In the 17th century the country expanded its territories to form the Swedish empire. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula, were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The historically integrated eastern half of Sweden, Finland, was lost to Russia in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a personal union with Sweden, a union which lasted until 1905. Since 1814, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and neutrality in wartime.


Following the World War II, Sweden took advantage of an intact industrial base, social stability and its natural resources to expand its industry to supply the rebuilding of Europe. By the 1960s, Sweden, like the other Nordic countries, had become an affluent consumer society and welfare state. Sweden was part of the Marshall Plan and participated in the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), many of the policies aiming to improve the quality of life for the general population, in particular Sweden's working class, were successfully implemented.

Sweden joined the European Union in 1995, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Europe's non-aligned Western countries, except Ireland, had considered membership unwise, as the EU predecessor, the European Community, had been strongly associated with NATO countries. Following the end of the Cold War, however, Sweden, Austria and Finland joined, though in Sweden's case without adopting the Euro. Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with NATO and some other countries, in addition to extensive cooperation with other European countries in the area of defence technology and defence industry.

Among others, Swedish companies export weapons that are used by the American military in Iraq. Sweden also has a long history of participating in international military operations, including most recently, Afghanistan, where Swedish troops are under NATO command, and in EU sponsored peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cyprus.
Sweden, like countries around the globe, entered a period of economic decline and upheaval, following the oil embargoes of 1973-74 and 1978-79. In the 1980s pillars of Swedish industry were massively restructured. Shipbuilding was discontinued, wood pulp was integrated into modernized paper production, the steel industry was concentrated and specialized, and mechanical engineering was digitalized.

A bursting real estate bubble caused by inadequate controls on lending combined with an international recession and a policy switch from anti-unemployment policies to anti-inflationary policies resulted in a fiscal crisis in the early 1990s. The response of the government was to cut spending and institute a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden's competitiveness, among them reducing the welfare state and privatizing public services and goods. Much of the political establishment promoted EU membership, and the Swedish referendum passed by 52-48% in favour of joining the EU on 14 August 1994. Sweden joined the EU on 1 January 1995.
A country known for very low crime rates compared to other developed countries, Sweden has nevertheless seen two prominent politicians assassinated in recent history: Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986, and foreign minister Anna Lindh in 2003.

Student life

Student life

Lund is known for its particularly active student life, revolving around three central structures: Student Nations, Akademiska Föreningen, and student Unions.

The nations in Lund are a central part of the university's history, initially serving as residential colleges for students, organized by geographic origin. Östgöta Nation, the oldest nation, was established in 1668, two years after the university was founded. While the nations still offer limited housing, today they are best described as student societies. It is required to enroll in a nation to receive grades at the university.

Today students may enroll in any nation, although the nations still preserve their geographic names. In most cases it does not matter what nation one enrolls in, but different nations offer different activities for interested students. The fee of around 350 Swedish krona per semester (which also includes student union membership fees), is the closest thing to a tuition requirement found in Sweden.

Each nation has student housing, but the accommodations in no way meet demand, and they are usually appointed according to a queue system. Each nation has at least one pub evening per week, with a following night club. The solemn peak event in the course of an activity year is the organization of student balls once a year. Most well known of the nation balls (as opposed to balls organized by fraternities or student unions) is the ball hosted by Göteborgs Nation - called the "Gustaf II Adolf Ball" (also known as the "GA-Ball"). Most nations also host at least one banquet per week, where a three course dinner is served. Each nation also has different activities for students interested in sports, arts, or partying. All activities within the nations are voluntary, and most students are not active in them.

The tradition of nations at the university is practically as old as the university itself.

The list is always sorted in accordance with a time-honoured order based on the age of the diocese of the area that the nation was named after. The reason for this was that almost all students earlier came from gymnasiums, and these were only found in diocesan capitals.

Nation	Foundation year	Inspektor	Acronym
Östgöta Nation	1668	Lars Söderström	ÖG
Västgöta Nation	1669	Ole Elgström	VG
Småland Nation		Tiina Rosenberg	SM
Lunds Nation	1890	Thomas Johannesson	LD
Malmö Nation	1890	Magnus Jernek	ML
Helsingkrona Nation	1890	Christer Jönsson	HB
Sydskånska Nationen	1890	Göran Hermerén	SSK
Kristianstad Nation	1890	Lennart Thörnqvist	KR
Blekingska Nation	1697	Pehr-Henrik Enckell	BL
Göteborg Nation		Catharina Svanborg	GBG
Halland Nation	1928	Allan T. Malm	HL
Kalmar Nation	1696	Sten Hidal	KM
Wermland Nation	1682	Andreas Önnerfors	WML

12 of the 13 nations (all but the Småland Nation) have established a cooperation, including being members of a common Academical Union (Akademiska Föreningen).

Akademiska Föreningen (AF).

In 1830, Professor Carl Adolph Agardh formed Akademiska Föreningen (The Academic Society), commonly referred to as AF, with the goal of "developing and cultivating the academic life" by bringing students and faculty from all departments and student nations together in one organization. Prince Oscar I, then Sweden's Chancellor of Education, donated 2000 Kronor to help found the society. In 1848, construction began on AF-Borgen (the AF Fortress), which is located opposite the Main Building in Lundagård. To this day, AF is the center of student life in Lund, featuring many theater companies, a prize-winning student radio (Radio AF), and organizing the enormous Lundakarnevalen (the Lund Carnival) every four years.

Student Unions

Currently each faculty has its own student union. Since 1995, a central organization known as LUS (Lund University's Student Unions) negotiates with the university administration, while most work is done at the faculty level. The student unions that are members of LUS are:

-The Ph.D. Student Union

-Student Union of the Faculty of the Humanities

-Student Union of the Faculty of Medicine

-Student Union of Natural Sciences

-Lunds Socialhögskolas Studentkår

-Sjukgymnastinstitutets Studentkår

-Student Union of Social Sciences

-Student Union of the Faculty of Theology

-Vårdvetenskapliga Studentkåren

-Teaterhögskolans Studentkår

-Malmö Konsthögskolas Studentkår

-Studentkåren vid Musikhögskolan i Malmö

Why study in Sweden?

Innovation and creativity run deep

Sweden is a safe and modern country in northern Europe, and it has accrued a spectacular reputation as an innovator and creative force. Sweden's famed corporate brands - like Volvo, Ikea, Ericsson, H&M and Saab - complement its cultural brands - like Bergman, Abba, Astrid Lindgren, Bjorn Borg, Strindberg, The Cardigans and Garbo.

Standards are high

Sweden has a long and proud history of academic excellence, with outstanding universities dating back to the 15th century. Sweden is the home of the Nobel Prize, the world's most prestigious academic distinction.

Today, Sweden’s reputation for innovation is built on close cooperation between industry and academia. Swedish universities are renowned for their investigative research and independent thinking, and this reputation is cemented with rigorous quality control and nationally certified degrees. Sweden has one of the most ambitious educational evaluation programs in Europe, aimed at maintaining this competitive edge.

Choice

Swedish universities offer around 500 master’s programs in English, ranging from human rights law to mechanical engineering. Programs are structured in response to student demand – the result is a student-centric education system, with open, informal relations between students and teachers, and where personal initiative and critical thought are prized.

Foreign students are welcome

Many students studying in Sweden come from abroad – 8.5% of the student body, according to the OECD – making Sweden one of the world’s most inclusive countries for education. But there is room for more: The number grew by over 80% over the last 4-year period. There are now PhD candidates from some 80 countries working towards their degrees in Sweden.

Sweden’s educational policy is based on the recognition that a multicultural student body is a resource. Competition for places is keen, but students of all nationalities may apply, given the right credentials; and degree equivalency for past studies is granted on a flexible basis.

Scholarships are available

The Swedish Institute grants hundreds of scholarships every year to help foreign students make their stay in Sweden more affordable. Currently, tuition fees for everyone are fully subsidised by the state. Sweden’s public spending on education is the OECD’s highest, at 4.9% of GDP. And because it costs to live in Sweden, foreign students can work while studying.

English is spoken by all

Almost all Swedes speak fluent English. Many Swedish companies use English as their official working language. Foreign students find that this prevalence of English makes adapting to their new surroundings much easier.