Varför ska hela Sverige leva?

Fem perspektiv i svensk politisk debatt 2022–2024

Abstract

Representing Rural Interests: Competing Claims in Swedish Party Politics All parties in the Swedish Parliament currently claim to be fighting for the countryside; they all make statements and propose measures aimed at supporting key rural industries and making it easier to live well in rural and sparsely populated areas. This article presents a study of the ideas and arguments that appear in Swedish rural policy debates concerning why the countryside should receive higher priority, and in what ways. The material consists of interviews and opinion pieces published in Swedish media, as well as a panel debate featuring representatives from all parliamentary parties. The time period is 2022–2024, a period in which rural issues gained increasing prominence in Swedish political debate. The study shows that five different, interconnected discourses are represented among the eight parliamentary parties. The idea of the countryside as an important resource for the Swedish economy dominates, but the parties also advance ideas of solidarity, ecological sustainability, recognition of rural perspectives, and the countryside’s ability to thrive if simply left alone from state interference. The parties clearly articulate divergent visions of what a vibrant countryside should look like.