ABSTRACT
One of the most striking features of Swedish society during the postwar era is the Social Democrats' strong hold over the country's political life. This dominance – as often bemoaned as extolled – is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the Swedish cabinet: since the Second World War, the Social Democrats have ruled 52 out of 64 years. For many comparative politics scholars, this is, and has always been, the most salient stylized fact about Swedish politics. In this chapter we ask: what hides beneath the surface in this remarkably stable setting of nearly continuous Social Democratic control of the cabinet?
