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Social Investments in Swedish Municipalities – The Rise and Fall of a Reform

Mats Fred, photo.

In this article, recently published in Acta Sociologica, Mats Fred draws on more than a decade of fieldwork on social investments in Sweden to explore the rise and fall of reforms: How are reforms kept alive? What happens when key actors leave, networks dissolve, and governance priorities shift?

In the 2010s, the idea of social investments gained traction as a key to preventive, evidence-based, and cost-effective welfare. Swedish municipalities widely embraced the concept, primarily by establishing social investment funds. Yet despite the rapid spread of these ideas and funds, the reform seemed to fade almost as quickly as it emerged.