Abstract
The tension betweenneed andeffort is at the core of differing interpretations of social equality and inequality. Need-based thinking entails social and economic justice for all within the state regardless of abilities and effort. Effort-based thinking embodies distribution of material resources according to energy expended, abilities, and achievement. The Swedish model for the past five decades has sided with need-based egalitarian mindedness and increasingly has applied that criterion to the quality of working life. Accommodations were made for wealth, a managerial elite, and strong unions. Recently, the country’s overheated economy and pressures for austerity have caused a reassessment of the welfare state.
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Gorden, W.I., Holmberg, KA. & Heisey, D.R. Equality and the swedish work environment. Employ Respons Rights J 7, 141–160 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02621209
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02621209