Almost Perfekt: How Sweden Works and What We Can Learn From It

by David Crouch

Sweden: A country that defies the laws of economic gravity. A land with high wages, strong unions and generous welfare. A dream location for business and a bastion of social responsibility, coming out on top for childcare, equality and quality of life. What can we learn from it? Having lived in Sweden for six years, journalist David Crouch has a unique perspective as an outsider looking in on one of the world's most successful yet divided countries. Based on more than 70 interviews with leading figures in Swedish industry and politics, Almost Perfekt is a journey through Swedish society and what sets it apart from the world today. Why is Sweden so good for businesses like IKEA, Spotify and Skype? How will the country become zero carbon by 2045? And what can we learn about immigration from its ambitious policies? With political and economic upheaval threatening to pull Europe apart, discover the truth of how Sweden really works.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History

304 pages, Paperback

Published August 8, 2019

About the author

David Bruce Crouch, FRHistS, FBA, was Professor of Medieval History at the University of Hull, where he taught from 2003 until his retirement in 2018.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much written about the Scandinavian countries and how well they do in education, welfare and their economies. I hoped this book, written by a British journalist now living there, would be a critical look at Sweden, given the title. Almost Perfekt? What’s good and what is not so good? In some ways that is exactly what you get. The author has written for the Financial Times, so there’s a lot about the economy and the labour arrangements. The tone is measured and there’s little of the author’s views expressed which made this a little dry for me. As a New Zealander, I feel we have followed the British way blindly for many years and now we are increasingly influenced by the American way. But the Scandinavian countries do offer alternatives. What we could apply to us, a very multi cultural nation with an indigenous population, I’m not sure. And I’m not much the wiser having read this book. Nonetheless a good introduction to modern Sweden, it’s challenges and triumphs.

[Gary Hayter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one of those “I met a Scandinavian girl and now I live there and will give you a unique insight into the culture “ kinda books. Yes books about Scandinavia are still reasonably hot and selling well. This one though concentrates on the Swedish Model, and how it has changed over the past 25 years, rather than light hearted anecdotes about confronting an elk for the first time or some stinking fish.
The author lectures in journalism at Gothenburg University now, and is of a definite left-liberal persuasion. Coverage of the economic changes and social welfare arrangements are quite good, but his avoidance of grasping the disastrous immigration policies of the past 20 years is noticeably absent. Sure he writes about being at the scene of a riot in Husky and how aggrieved the rioters felt. But his attitude is that immigration from conservative patriarchal Islamic cultures with little or no education, is a good think. He points out that only 5% of Swedish jobs require zero qualifications and that Sweden needs computer literate workers to fill its burgeoning IT sector.
He doesn’t touch upon the media and the narrow opinion corridor which exists where anyone questioning migration policy is excluded from the debate and called a racist.
For those interested in Sweden now check out This is a Swedish Tiger by Aron Flam and Kajsa Norman’s Sweden’s Dark Soul.

[A SC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost Perfekt is a book exploring the “Swedish model” through politics, economics, society and culture.
If you’re moving to Sweden, about to, are thinking to or just moved, this book is a great intro and summary into the Swedish life. Living here for more than one and a half years, I have learnt quite some new facts and topics that matter. It helps you to see the big picture through different perspectives and in depth research.
If you have nothing to do with Sweden, but still wondering about this book...well, my feeling is that it might trick you into the words of an author. It is your experiences and this book that combined can make your mind why “almost perfekt”.
Nevertheless, I am really thankful for the author of realy digging into the depth of Sweden and writing this book. I was wondering why some topics were chosen to the book and some left out, but my main trigger was that they felt differently “loved”. Some chapters were written purely driven by research, while some others were more opiniated by the author, which doesn’t read nicely, or makes you think, how much the author leads you to think one way.
Despite that, if you navigate through the book well and have some kind of connection to Sweden and would like to get to know it better, this definitely might be something for you. I definitely have more topics in my mind to bring up around the table of Swedish friends, and for that I am thankful to the author.

[Fabiola · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a lot of facts about Sweden. Unfortunately, the author being a journalist, doesn’t manage to turn those facts into a story. Each chapter is unrelated to the last. There are almost more quotes in the book than original writing, and all of these come from the pinnacle of Swedish business and society, which makes it one-sided and we never really hear abt what the rest (read: majority) of Sweden thinks or lives. I think this book has no charm and no engaging factor. It is good to get a picture of what the Swedish social, economical, political, and environmental model is like nowadays, but it is really hard to read through the whole book. Feels like a fact dump. I would have hoped that since the author loves in Sweden, we’d also get more of an insider’s perspective, but you would think he’s never been to Sweden except for making the interviews for the book.

[Gagandeep Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

TLDR : I would recommend this book to anyone who recently moved to Sweden and want to know how Sweden works and what is the thinking behind policies in place and what future planning looks like.

I found this book to be really helpful for me to getting to know about Sweden more. As I recently moved to Sweden.

I liked the structure of the book of touching various topics and the connecting all of them at the end while summarising.

I got to know various welfare schemes and thinking behind those eg. parental leave. As I am coming from background where there is no long parental leave provided for Father. So now after reading thinking behind split of parental leave I feel good.

Author explained really well how politicians think about the future in distance. I was fascinated how things work in Sweden like new housing experiments.

[Kate Parr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, focusing on what the author describes as a 'top-down' view of the Swedish economy, meaning it's more focused on how the country is run than what it is like for its citizens day to day. Their corporate dealings with unions seems light-years away from the UK: they focus on keeping people working/getting them back to work quickly rather than saving specific jobs, and the focus is always on consensus rather than conflict. It would be easy to paint a rosie view, there are obviously problems, but as a primer to understand how the Swedes are doing things differently, this was a good place to start.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and clear-eyed analysis of Sweden's political, social and economic systems Crouch argues that it while it is no longer correct to characterize the nation as the social-democratic paradise of popular imagination, there are still numerous unique conventions, particularly in regard to employment and environment, that have benefitted Swedish society immensely.

[Diana Avalos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to understand the Swedish model and to clarify most of the myths around it. Highly recommended for those trying to learn more about Swedish society.

[Mayur Patil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Summary of various aspects of Sweden.

[Ralph-Peter Hendriks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Much about the Swedish model I didn't know. Must read for anyone interest in politics and economics, and how societies should/could be organised.

[Moritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Durchaus interessant geschrieben, allerdings nicht ökonomisch tiefgehend.

[Sean A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learnt heaps about Sweden

[Athaya Krisrana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book present top-down view of Swedish society. I learn from the most multicultural country in the world, felt like having multicultural mind from a book.