ABSTRACT
Sweden has always been a very sparsely populated nation. This has given rise to a form of social and political organization characterized by considerable decentralization of power, where local self-government has been more prominent than in perhaps any other country. Until the middle of the 19th century the most important local unit was the parish. This became more and more involved in non-clerical functions, some of which would later become classified as social work, such as taking care of the poor, sick and old people, dealing with alcoholism, addressing problems in the bringing up of children, and resolving conflicts within families and between neighbours.
