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Sweden Is a Constitutional Monarchy

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Sweden Is a Constitutional Monarchy SOCIAL SCIENCES COLLECTION GUIDES OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS www.bl.uk/subjects/national-and-international-government-publications Swedish government documents INTRODUCTION What follows is a selection only of the main categories of material. Always check the catalogues - for some of the titles mentioned, we have incomplete holdings. Some other British Library holdings of Swedish government materials are recorded in Explore the British Library [http://explore.bl.uk]. However other material has to be traced through a range of manual records and published indexes. If you do not find what you are looking for in the Integrated Catalogue, please contact the Enquiry Desk in the Social Sciences Reading Room, where expert staff will check further on your behalf. For a complete listing of Library at LSE holdings, consult the Library catalogue [http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/] For material held by Oxford University Library Services, please consult the OLIS catalogue at [http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/]. Please contact the Official Papers Section [email protected] for further assistance. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy. The King is the Head of State; however, his duties are primarily of a representative and ceremonial nature. The monarch opens the sessions of the Riksdag, is the official representative of Sweden in relations with other countries, receives other Heads of State, and holds the highest military rank. The Riksdag (Parliament) is the highest organ of government. Since 1971 it has one Chamber with 349 members elected on a system of partial proportional representation and is led by a Speaker. The members are chosen every four years in general elections and at present they represent seven parties. The Riksdag enacts laws, decides on taxes and on budget allocations, and examines the administration of the country by the executive branch. Swedish government documents Page 1 of 15 Social sciences collection guides Official publications CONTENTS 1. PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS ..................................................................... 2 2. CONSTITUTION ................................................................................................. 5 3. LEGISLATION AND COURT REPORTS ................................................................ 5 3.1 Legislation .................................................................................................... 5 3.2 The courts and case law ................................................................................ 6 3.3 Legal resources on the Internet ...................................................................... 6 4. GAZETTES, OFFICIAL ALMANACS AND YEARBOOKS ........................................ 7 5. DEPARTMENTAL PUBLICATIONS ....................................................................... 7 6. GOVERNMENT REPORTS ................................................................................... 7 7. NATIONAL BANK PUBLICATIONS ...................................................................... 8 8. INDEXES ............................................................................................................. 8 8.1 General guides and indexes ........................................................................... 9 8.2 Parliamentary/legislative proceedings ............................................................ 9 8.3 Departmental publications ........................................................................... 10 8.4 Statistical material ....................................................................................... 10 9. WEBSITES ......................................................................................................... 10 9.1 Government web portals ............................................................................. 10 9.2 Parliament and government reports ............................................................. 10 9.3 Legal Resources on the Internet ................................................................... 11 9.4 Statistical materials ...................................................................................... 11 10. STATISTICS .................................................................................................... 11 10.2 Statistical yearbooks .................................................................................. 12 10.3 Other Statistical material ........................................................................... 12 10.4 Censuses................................................................................................... 14 FURTHER INFORMATION .................................................................................... 15 1. PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS The Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) makes laws and decrees the income taxes and expenditure of the state. It reviews the work of the government and the various authorities and decides on foreign policy. The Riksdag maintains a website at http://www.riksdagen.se/ which offers information about its work and decisions. The website contains a large number of texts from the parliament such as government bills (propositioner), debates (protokoll) and committee reports (utskottsbetänkanden). The website is easy to use but the texts are in Swedish with some guides in English. Records of proceedings in the Chamber can be searched online in Swedish from 1971 at http://www.riksdagen.se/sv/Dokument-Lagar/Kammaren/Protokoll/ Some of the records of proceedings in the Chamber have been translated into English. Some general information about the Parliament and its work is also available in English at http://www.riksdagen.se/en/ Protokoll (Records of proceedings in the Chamber) Swedish government documents Page 2 of 15 Social sciences collection guides Official publications This series contains a verbatim record of everything that is said in the Riksdag Chamber. Immediately after a meeting of the Chamber, the proceedings can be read in a preliminary record; after two to four weeks, the final, the approved record is published. The record also shows how the parties have voted. Parliamentary working papers used to appear in Protokoll: Riksdagen, Bihang (Appendix to the Proceedings) and include bills, motions, the royal speech at the opening of Parliament, annual reports of several parliamentary offices, reports of parliamentary committees and reports requested from the Government by Parliament. Riksdag - Bihang till Protokolle and Register BL holdings: 1810-1970 BL shelfmark: SB.806 Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library Riksdagens protokoll: Forsta Kamaren (Proceedings: First Chamber) BL holdings: 1867-1970 BL shelfmark: SB.808/3(1) Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library Riksdagens protokoll: Andra Kamaren (Proceedings: Second Chamber) BL holdings: 1867-1970 BL shelfmark: SB.808/3(2) Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library From 1971 the proceedings are published in sections: A. Protokoll [Debates] BL holdings: 1971-2010/11 BL shelfmark: SB.808/5 Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library B. Propositioner [Bills] includes the budget bill BL holdings: 1971-2010/11 BL shelfmark: SB.808/5 (2) Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library Budget materials are currently also available at the Riksdag website at http://www.riksdagen.se/sv/Dokument-Lagar/Forslag/Propositioner-och-skrivelser/ C. Protokoll bihang includes reports requested from the government by the Riksdag, Annual report of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Annual report of the Riksdag auditors, etc. BL holdings: 1971- 2009/10 BL shelfmark: SB.808/5 (3) The Library, LSE holdings: these catalogued individually by title, where available at GOVT PUBNS 485 (R…) Not held at the Bodleian Library Swedish government documents Page 3 of 15 Social sciences collection guides Official publications D. Motioner [Motions] BL holdings: 1971-2009/10 BL shelfmark: SB.808/5 (4) Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library E. Reports to the chamber from the 16 Standing Committees BL holdings: 1971-2010/11 BL shelfmark: SB.808/5 (5) Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library F. Riksdagsskrivelser [Riksdag communications] BL holdings: 1971-2010/11 BL shelfmark: SB.808/5 (6) Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library G. Riksdag Register BL holdings: 1971-1998/99 BL shelfmark: SB.814/2 Not held at the Library, LSE Not held at the Bodleian Library Riksdag ars (later Riksdagens arsbok), published annually since 1950, provides a summary of the business dealt with by the Riksdag through the year. BL holdings: 1950- BL shelfmark: SB.815 Current edition: OPL 948.50025 The Library, LSE holdings: 1932 - 1988 The Library, LSE classmark: GOVT PUBNS 485 (R48) Not held at the Bodleian Library Justitieombudsmännens ämbetsberättelse [Annual Reports of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen] BL holdings: 1849, 1908, and 1946 only BL shelfmark: SB.859 Also in Bihang till Protokoll at BL shelfmark SB.806 until 1970. From 1971 onwards in Protokoll C at BL shelfmark: SB.808/5(3) The Library, LSE holdings: 1985/86- The Library, LSE classmark: GOVT PUBNS 455 (R187) Not held at the Bodleian Library These are also available from the Ombudsmen's website http://www.jo.se/sv/Om- JO/Ambetsberattelser/ from 1996/97. A summary in English can be found at the end of the reports. The Ombudsmen of Justice, or the Parliamentary Ombudsmen to give them their official title, are elected by the Swedish Riksdag (Parliament) to ensure that public
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