Why Sweden Suspended Military Service the Policy Process from 1990 to 2009 Lindberg, Mårten
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Why Sweden Suspended Military Service The Policy Process from 1990 to 2009 Lindberg, Mårten 2019 Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Lindberg, M. (2019). Why Sweden Suspended Military Service: The Policy Process from 1990 to 2009. Lund University. 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LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 MÅRTEN LINDBERG T. Why suspended Sweden military service Why Sweden suspended military service For little more than a century military service enacted cherished Swedish values of equality, Why Sweden Suspended solidarity and doing one’s part for the common good. What started out as a military recruitment policy in 1901 matured into an institutional Military Service feature of Swedish society; appreciated by The Policy Process from 1990 to 2009 society, the conscripts, the Armed Forces and by political parties to the left and the right. MÅRTEN T. LINDBERG In a pursuit to preserve military service in the DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE | LUND UNIVERSITY post-cold war period, governments to the left and the right initiated a reform in the early 1990s. In contrast to the political objective, however, it leads parliament to suspend military service in 2009. By tracing the policy process from 1990 to 2009, Mårten Lindberg answers why military service was suspended in Sweden, identifying new explanatory concepts and mechanisms. Mårten Lindberg’s dissertation focuses on the importance of institutions (written and unwritten rules, norms and social expectations) for the functioning and efficiency of public policy. It also points out the importance that public policy has in creating and maintaining institutions in society. Lund University Faculty of Social Sciences 950775 Department of Political Science 2019 ISBN 978-91-7895-077-5 789178 ISSN 0460-0037 9 Why Sweden suspended military service The policy process from 1990 to 2009 by Mårten Torson Lindberg DOCTORAL DISSERTATION by due permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lund University, Sweden. To be defended at Eden’s Auditorium, 7/6 2019. Faculty opponent Professor Kjell Engelbrekt The Swedish Defence university Organization Document name LUND UNIVERSITY DOCTORAL DISSERTATION Date of issue 2019-06-07 Author(s) Sponsoring organization FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Title and subtitle WHY SWEDEN SUSPENDED MILITARY SERVICE: THE POLICY PROCESS FROM 1990 TO 2009 Abstract: For little more than a century military service enacted Swedish values of equality, solidarity and doing one's part for the public good. What started out at as mere military recruitment policy in 1901 developed into an institutional feature of Swedish society: appreciated by society, the conscripts, the Armed Forces and by political parties to the left and the right. In a pursuit to preserve military service in the post-cold war period, governments to the left and the right initiated a reform in the early 1990s. In contrast to the political objective it leads parliament to suspend military service in 2009. This is surprising, given that the literature suggests that well-entrenched institutions are change-resistant. Other countries in Europe had already swapped from conscripted to professional armies. The explanatory concepts in this literature do however not apply to the Swedish case. Why, then, did Sweden suspend military service in 2009? This dissertation introduces two concepts that help us understand the Swedish outcome. First, the reform sets in motion a deinstitutionalisation of military service. This is a process where the features that had institutionalised military service in the 1900s are taken away in the 1990s and early 2000s. This process is driven by strategic adjustments in Sweden's two largest political parties: the Social Democratic Party (SAP) and the Moderate Party. In the post-cold war period both have issue-reputations in defence policy that enable and constrain them in a new governing context. In a struggle to reinvent themselves both parties adjust their issue-reputations by: (a) disassociating themselves from reputations that constrain them; (b) elevating reputations that enable them; and (c) adopting the enabling reputations of the opposing party. After two decades of this behaviour military service have none of the features that once enabled its institutional reproduction and effective functioning. This is why military service was suspended in 2009. Key words conscripted army, professional army, deinstitutionalisation, issue-reputation, SAP, Moderate Party, Classification system and/or index terms (if any) Supplementary bibliographical information Language English ISSN and key title ISBN 0460-0037 978-91-7895-101-7 (print) 978-91-7895-102-4 (pdf) Recipient’s notes Number of pages 206 Price Security classification I, the undersigned, being the copyright owner of the abstract of the above-mentioned dissertation, hereby grant to all reference sources permission to publish and disseminate the abstract of the above-mentioned dissertation. Signature Date 2019-04-24 Why Sweden suspended military service the policy process from 1990 to 2009 Mårten T. Lindberg DOCTORAL DISSERTATION by due permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lund University, Sweden. To be defended at Eden’s Auditorium, 7/6 2019. Faculty opponent: Professor Kjell Engelbrekt, The Swedish Defence University Copyright Mårten Lindberg Faculty of Social Sciences ISBN 978-91-7895-101-7 ISSN 0460-0037 Printed in Sweden by Media-Tryck, Lund University Lund 2019 Till P och N. 5 Abstract For little more than a century military service enacted Swedish values of equality, solidarity and doing one’s part for the public good. What started out at as mere military recruitment policy in 1901 developed into an institutional feature of Swedish society: appreciated by society, the conscripts, the Armed Forces and by political parties to the left and the right. In a pursuit to preserve military service in the post-cold war period, governments to the left and the right initiated a reform in the early 1990s. In contrast to the political objective it leads parliament to suspend military service in 2009. This is surprising, given that the lit- erature suggests that well-entrenched institutions are change-resistant. Other countries in Europe had already swapped from conscripted to pro- fessional armies. The explanatory concepts in this literature do however not apply to the Swedish case. Why, then, did Sweden suspend milit- ary service in 2009? This dissertation introduces two concepts that help us understand the Swedish outcome. First, the reform sets in mo- tion a deinstitutionalisation of military service. This is a process where the features that had institutionalised military service in the 1900s are taken away in the 1990s and early 2000s. This process is driven by stra- tegic adjustments in Sweden’s two largest political parties: the Social Democratic Party (SAP) and the Moderate Party. In the post-cold war period both have issue-reputations in defence policy that enable and constrain them in a new governing context. In a struggle to reinvent themselves both parties adjust their issue-reputations by: (a) disasso- ciating themselves from reputations that constrain them; (b) elevating reputations that enable them; and (c) adopting the enabling reputations of the opposing party. After two decades of this behaviour military service has none of the features that once enabled its institutional reproduction and effective functioning. This is why military service was suspended in 2009. 7 Acknowledgements Allra högst vill jag tacka min familj — min fru och son — för er ovillkor- liga kärlek under den tid som jag skrivit min avhandling. För de många kvällar och helger som jag har skrivit istället för att tillbringa min tid med er. Min fru för att du utmanar mig och alltid stöttar mig. Min son för dina ständiga påhitt och hyss. Tack för att ni påminner mig om vad som är viktigast av allt. Jag är så stolt över er båda. Utan er — ingenting. Iwouldalsoliketothankmyfatherandmotherforencouragingme to pursue a PhD, and giving me the abilities to pull this through while also raising a family, and everything that comes with it. Thank you. IwanttogiveaspecialthankstomysupervisorJanTeorellfor always being kind and supportive. For reading my manuscript carefully, even when it was long and unstructured, for keeping me on track, on topic, and motivated. Thank you. Finally, I would like to thank all of you — colleagues and friends — who have read and commented on my manuscript in any of its many drafts. You have greatly improved the end product. A special thank you to Douglas Brommesson, Erik Ringmar, Johannes Lindwall and Jens Bartelson. Writing this dissertation has always been fun and something I did with pleasure. It is something I will miss. Contents I Theory, Problem, Argument 13 1 An institutional perspective 15 1.1 Two Kinds of Armies . 19 1.2 TwoKindsofInstitutions . 23 1.3 Military Service in Sweden . 29 1.4 TheProblem ........................ 40 2 Two mechanisms 51 2.1 Deinstitutionalisation . 52 2.2 IssueReputation ...................... 54 2.3 Method and Research Design . 59 2.4 Objectives, Contributions and Limitations .