The Long Arm of Plutocracy: Economic Restrictions of Political Candidacy Eligibility in Sweden, Before and After the 'Democratic Breakthrough'

The aim of the research project is to map and analyse the development, administrative control and consequences of the economic dimensions of eligibility criteria for political candidacy in Sweden, before and after the country’s early 1900s democratic transition. By doing so, the project will contribute to the understanding of how plutocracy (rule by the affluent) and later development towards democracy were upheld, manifested, practiced and contested within the framework of electoral regulations and administrative procedures.

Additionally, it challenges narratives of early 20th century democracy reforms as a clean break from previous economically stratified political systems.

Theoretically, our examination is predicated on the notion that plutocracy and democracy are mutually exclusive, yet paradoxically co-existing; the more plutocratic a system, the less democratic it is. We operationalise this through three theoretical concepts: boundaries and boundary work; administrative procedures; and moral economy. We contend that eligibility criteria perform boundary work in nascent democracies by creating demarcations between the affluent and the economically disadvantaged but also across other dimensions such as nationality, citizenship, age, and gender.

We adopt a mixed-method approach across five sub-studies guided by questions on the evolution and rationale behind changes in the criteria; the administrative mechanisms for enforcing them, as well as their broader impacts.