Jon Pierre is Professor of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg and Professor of Public Governance at the University of Melbourne. He is author, co-author, editor, and co-editor of more than 25 books. Jon Pierre is editor of Debating Governance (Oxford University Press, 2000) and co-author (with Guy Peters) of Governance, Politics and the State (Palgrave, 2000) and Governing Complex Societies (Palgrave, 2005). His most recent books include Globalization and Governance (Edward Elgar, 2013) and (with Bengt Jacobsson and Göran Sundström) Governing the Embedded State (Oxford University Press, 2015). His work has also appeared in journals like Governance, Journal of Politics, Journal of Public Administration and Theory and Journal of European Public Policy.

the Handbook is a most welcome -- and sorely needed -- contribution. An impressively heavy, well-presented and organised tome, it paints a rich tapestry of Sweden's past and contemporary political and constitutional settlement -- from the dawn of the exceptional Swedish model through to its present (alleged) twilight as a beacon of prosperity and equality.

• Section 1: The Politics of the Welfare State (Section Editor: Bo Rothstein) 1: Bo Rothstein: Introduction 2: Stefan Svallfors: Who Loves the Swedish Welfare State? Attitude trends 1980-2010 3: Anders Lindbom: Political Partisanship and Policy Feedback: The Swedish Welfare State after Eight Years of Center-Right Government 4: Christina Bergqvist: The Welfare State and Gender Equality 5: Bo Rothstein: The Moral, Economic and Political Logic of the Swedish Welfare State Section 2: Constitutional Design (Section Editor: Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg) 6: Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg: Introduction 7: Olof Petersson: Constitutional History 8: Jörgen Hermansson: The Election System 9: Tommy Möller: The Parliamentary System 10: Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg and Helena Wockelberg: The Public Sector and the Courts Section 3: The Party System (Section Editors: Hanna Bäck and Gissur Erlingsson) 11: Hanna Bäck and Gissur O. Erlingsson: Introduction 12: Nicholas Aylott: The Party System 13: Gissur O. Erlingsson, Ann-Kristin Kölln and Patrik Öhberg: The Party Organizations 14: Peter Esaiasson and Lena Wängnerud: Political Parties and Political Representation 15: Hanna Bäck and Torbjörn Bergman: The Parties in Government Formation Section 4: Electoral Behaviour (Section Editors: Sören Holmberg and Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson) 16: Sören Holmberg and Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson: Introduction 17: Richard Öhrvall: Voter Turnout 18: Maria Oskarson: The Never-Ending Story of Class-Voting in Sweden 19: Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson and Sören Holmberg: Issue Voting Structured by Left-Tight Ideology 20: Jesper Strömbäck: Swedish Election Campaigns Section 5: Public Administration (Section Editor: Göran Sundström) 21: Göran Sundström: Introduction 22: Patrik Hall: The Swedish Administrative Model 23: Göran Sundström: Administrative Reform 24: Peter Ehn: The Public Servant 25: Bengt Jacobsson and Göran Sundström: Governing the State Section 6: Subnational Government (Section Editor: Anders Lidström) 26: Anders Lidström: Introduction 27: Stig Montin: Municipalities, Regions, and County Councils: Actors and Institutions 28: David Feltenius: Subnational Government in a Multi-Level Perspective 29: Lars Niklasson: Challenges and Reforms of Local and Regional Governments in Sweden 30: Anders Lidström: Swedish Local and Regional Government in a European Context Section 7: Sweden's International Relations (Section Editor: Ole Elgström) 31: Ole Elgström: Introduction 32: Ulf Bjereld and Ulrika Möller: Swedish Foreign Policy: The Policy of Neutrality and Beyond 33: Rikard Bengtsson: Sweden in the Baltic Sea Region 34: Annika Bergman Rosamond: Swedish Internationalism and Development Aid 35: Lisbeth Aggestam and Adrian Hyde-Price: A Force for Good? Paradoxes of Swedish Military Activism Section 8: Sweden and the EU (Section Editor: Ulrika Mörth) 36: Ulrika Mörth: Introduction 37: Ulrika Mörth: Sweden in a Multigovernance Polity 38: Bengt Jacobsson and Göran Sundström: The Europeanization of the Swedish State 39: Douglas Brommesson: The Europeanization of Swedish Foreign Policy and Beyond: On Multiple Roles in Swedish Post-Cold War Foreign Policy 40: Malena Rosén Sundström: Leading the European Union: Sweden's EU Presidencies 2001 and 2009 Section 9: The Political Economy of Swedish Governance (Section Editor: Johannes Lindvall) 41: Johannes Lindvall: Introduction 42: Jenny Andersson: A Model of Welfare Capitalism? Perspectives on the Swedish Model, Then and Now 43: Leif Lewin and Johannes Lindvall: One Hundred Years of Swedish Economic Policy 44: Lars Calmfors: The Swedish Macroeconomic Policy Framework 45: Torsten Svensson: The Swedish Model of Industrial Relations Section 10: Policy Making in Sweden (Section Editor: Carl Dahlström) 46: Carl Dahlström: Introduction 47: Torsten Persson: Policy Coordination Under Minority and Majority Rule 48: Olof Petersson: Rational Politics: Commissions of Inquiry and the Referral System in Sweden 49: PerOla Öberg: Interest Organizations in the Policy Process: Interest Advocacy and Policy Advice 50: Ingvar Mattson: Parliamentary Committees: A Ground for Compromise and Conflict

Jon Pierre is Professor of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg and Professor of Public Governance at the University of Melbourne. He is author, co-author, editor, and co-editor of more than 25 books. Jon Pierre is editor of Debating Governance (Oxford University Press, 2000) and co-author (with Guy Peters) of Governance, Politics and the State (Palgrave, 2000) and Governing Complex Societies (Palgrave, 2005). His most recent books include Globalization and Governance (Edward Elgar, 2013) and (with Bengt Jacobsson and Göran Sundström) Governing the Embedded State (Oxford University Press, 2015). His work has also appeared in journals like Governance, Journal of Politics, Journal of Public Administration and Theory and Journal of European Public Policy.

the Handbook is a most welcome -- and sorely needed -- contribution. An impressively heavy, well-presented and organised tome, it paints a rich tapestry of Sweden's past and contemporary political and constitutional settlement -- from the dawn of the exceptional Swedish model through to its present (alleged) twilight as a beacon of prosperity and equality.

• Section 1: The Politics of the Welfare State (Section Editor: Bo Rothstein) 1: Bo Rothstein: Introduction 2: Stefan Svallfors: Who Loves the Swedish Welfare State? Attitude trends 1980-2010 3: Anders Lindbom: Political Partisanship and Policy Feedback: The Swedish Welfare State after Eight Years of Center-Right Government 4: Christina Bergqvist: The Welfare State and Gender Equality 5: Bo Rothstein: The Moral, Economic and Political Logic of the Swedish Welfare State Section 2: Constitutional Design (Section Editor: Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg) 6: Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg: Introduction 7: Olof Petersson: Constitutional History 8: Jörgen Hermansson: The Election System 9: Tommy Möller: The Parliamentary System 10: Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg and Helena Wockelberg: The Public Sector and the Courts Section 3: The Party System (Section Editors: Hanna Bäck and Gissur Erlingsson) 11: Hanna Bäck and Gissur O. Erlingsson: Introduction 12: Nicholas Aylott: The Party System 13: Gissur O. Erlingsson, Ann-Kristin Kölln and Patrik Öhberg: The Party Organizations 14: Peter Esaiasson and Lena Wängnerud: Political Parties and Political Representation 15: Hanna Bäck and Torbjörn Bergman: The Parties in Government Formation Section 4: Electoral Behaviour (Section Editors: Sören Holmberg and Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson) 16: Sören Holmberg and Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson: Introduction 17: Richard Öhrvall: Voter Turnout 18: Maria Oskarson: The Never-Ending Story of Class-Voting in Sweden 19: Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson and Sören Holmberg: Issue Voting Structured by Left-Tight Ideology 20: Jesper Strömbäck: Swedish Election Campaigns Section 5: Public Administration (Section Editor: Göran Sundström) 21: Göran Sundström: Introduction 22: Patrik Hall: The Swedish Administrative Model 23: Göran Sundström: Administrative Reform 24: Peter Ehn: The Public Servant 25: Bengt Jacobsson and Göran Sundström: Governing the State Section 6: Subnational Government (Section Editor: Anders Lidström) 26: Anders Lidström: Introduction 27: Stig Montin: Municipalities, Regions, and County Councils: Actors and Institutions 28: David Feltenius: Subnational Government in a Multi-Level Perspective 29: Lars Niklasson: Challenges and Reforms of Local and Regional Governments in Sweden 30: Anders Lidström: Swedish Local and Regional Government in a European Context Section 7: Sweden's International Relations (Section Editor: Ole Elgström) 31: Ole Elgström: Introduction 32: Ulf Bjereld and Ulrika Möller: Swedish Foreign Policy: The Policy of Neutrality and Beyond 33: Rikard Bengtsson: Sweden in the Baltic Sea Region 34: Annika Bergman Rosamond: Swedish Internationalism and Development Aid 35: Lisbeth Aggestam and Adrian Hyde-Price: A Force for Good? Paradoxes of Swedish Military Activism Section 8: Sweden and the EU (Section Editor: Ulrika Mörth) 36: Ulrika Mörth: Introduction 37: Ulrika Mörth: Sweden in a Multigovernance Polity 38: Bengt Jacobsson and Göran Sundström: The Europeanization of the Swedish State 39: Douglas Brommesson: The Europeanization of Swedish Foreign Policy and Beyond: On Multiple Roles in Swedish Post-Cold War Foreign Policy 40: Malena Rosén Sundström: Leading the European Union: Sweden's EU Presidencies 2001 and 2009 Section 9: The Political Economy of Swedish Governance (Section Editor: Johannes Lindvall) 41: Johannes Lindvall: Introduction 42: Jenny Andersson: A Model of Welfare Capitalism? Perspectives on the Swedish Model, Then and Now 43: Leif Lewin and Johannes Lindvall: One Hundred Years of Swedish Economic Policy 44: Lars Calmfors: The Swedish Macroeconomic Policy Framework 45: Torsten Svensson: The Swedish Model of Industrial Relations Section 10: Policy Making in Sweden (Section Editor: Carl Dahlström) 46: Carl Dahlström: Introduction 47: Torsten Persson: Policy Coordination Under Minority and Majority Rule 48: Olof Petersson: Rational Politics: Commissions of Inquiry and the Referral System in Sweden 49: PerOla Öberg: Interest Organizations in the Policy Process: Interest Advocacy and Policy Advice 50: Ingvar Mattson: Parliamentary Committees: A Ground for Compromise and Conflict