Children's Rights and the Supportive Function of Law: The Case of Sweden.

Sweden is reputed, not least among Swedes themselves, for having achieved with its social welfare society a singular and, perhaps, outstanding position among industrial societies, somewhere between the "socialist" and "capitalist" concepts of social organization. Commonly the particular, marginal geopolitical position of the country, the high degree of centralization and integration of its society, and relatively early detachment from the European theatre of imperialistic wars of the Great Powers have been seen as the reasons for Sweden's particularity. This paper argues that above all the configuration of a) relatively late industrialization, b) the intimate link between industrialization and a concerted social policy which put family policy at its centre, and c) the crucial role of a highly differentiated legal system to support this process, is responsible for the singularity of the Swedish society. The issue of children's rights can be made the test-case for both Swedish welfare achievements and the hypothesis advanced in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]