Abstract:
This paper highlights the issue of state ownership, nationalization and privatization of firms in
Sweden. The main questions are; why was state ownership initiated and how was it so widely
extended during the 20th century, and why has state owned property during different periods been
privatized and how was these operations conducted? In short, the purpose of the paper is threefolded. First, analysing the driving forces behind state ownership since the mid-1800s and in
particular highlight periods when state ownership has increased widely. Surprisingly, the driving
forces behind nationalization has rarely been based on ideological grounds, instead the main
reason, among others, has been in the wake of economic crises, where the government has acted
as "owner-of-last-resort". Second, the paper analyses the first privatization process that Occurred
in the end of the 1980s and early 1990s. Third, the Paper discusses the privatization program
launched by the Conservative-liberal government in 2006 intended to sell 6 state-owned
companies.
