Internal coordination of social security in Sweden

This article begins with an overview of the structure of local governance in Sweden. It then examines the division of competences between municipalities and county councils, and the population register that determines the applicable law. Following this, the article focuses on health care schemes and the possibility for the competent county council to determine substantive health care. The municipalities’ responsibility for long term social care is then considered. Finally, the municipalities’ room for manoeuvre in relation to the social assistance scheme is reviewed. The concluding section discusses Sweden’s decentralised approach to social security