Sweden as a “pariah state” in times of COVID-19 pandemic?
Sweden as a “pariah state” in times of COVID-19 pandemic?

Summary/Abstract: The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges for the governments. Those challenges refer to many different areas, among others related to aspects of a country’s image. The main research problem relates to whether making different decisions than the majority of governments impacts the perception of a state and whether it makes it a “pariah state”. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, a focus is put on Sweden, which decided to implement solutions far different from the majority of EU member states. Since Swedenis a widely recognized state, it is an interesting case to be analyzed. The main stress is put on how Sweden’s different stance on COVID-19 influences the way it is perceived by other member states and whether it makes it subject to wider restrictions. The research question refers to whether decisions made by the Swedish decision-makers during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the way Sweden is treated and perceived by other EU member states. The research is strongly embedded in the concept of soft power and soft disempowerment. The research is based on a comparative method where data referring to both the stage of epidemics in all EU member states and the scope of implemented restrictions are confronted.

• Details
• Contents