This book challenges the widespread view that Sweden still represents the last vestiges of a social democratic 'people's home', arguing that the contemporary reality is very different. Notions of the revival of the Swedish model and of Sweden as an exemplary welfare state, that still prevail in the academic literature, are outdated. The popular, non-socialist Alliance for Sweden government has been in power since 2006, and the last decade has witnessed the emergence of the far-right Sweden Democrats as a parliamentary force. Social and cultural factors are of particular importance in a country which has seen the creation of a more heterogeneous, multicultural population, society and culture and in which one in ten Swedes were not born in Sweden. Miles also looks at changing institutional dynamics such as the modification of the Swedish welfare state so that its once universal and solidaristic characteristics are being challenged and replaced over time. This will be a benchmark text for students of European Politics and Scandinavian Studies, and for journalists, politicians and policy-makers seeking a short, informed and critical introduction to this fascinating and fast-changing country.