ABSTRACT
Lay activists in the revivalist free church movement as well as in the temperance movement played a crucial role in the transformation of pre-modern Sweden into a distinct modern though for long only semi-urban, industrial society. The work-first principle became the governing principle of Swedish labor market policy although it was not undisputed by the just-mentioned partners involved. The goal of the Rehn-Meidner workfare model has always been to improve the political resources of those threatened by unemployment, i.e., empowerment through a right to work. Restoring and empowering unemployed and otherwise marginalized people—regardless of class, gender or ethnicity—so that they can participate in mainstream society and escape poverty demands both social and political commitment as well as economic investment. The government set up several state commissions to investigate new ways of supporting poor and unemployed people both within the present social insurance system and as a separate alternative to municipal social assistance.
