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Which factors account for successful policy reform and what role does discourse play in the process? This article examines this empirical puzzle with reference to the issue of Greek reform failure. A matched comparison with Italy in the area of pensions reveals the salience of path shaping and the use of political discourse in narrowing down reform options and facilitating change. The Greek case of limited public information, incoherent preparation of the problem, and inner-circle decision-making, is contrasted with the Italian government's information-sharing and consensus-building campaign for the establishment of a pro-reformist discourse. Findings confirm the salience of institutional conditions but suggest that pure institutionalist accounts premised on rational choice thinking and the power of veto players should be complemented with more agency-driven accounts of public policy. Adapted from the source document.

Social Democracy in Sweden is an important reassessment of European social democracy and the impact of globalization. ; Published version

Over the last decade, Swedish labour relations have attracted relatively little scholarly attention, not least due to their 'normalization' along the lines of continental European practices. This article argues that the Swedish Model of labour concertation and social partnership has survived the turbulence of the 1990s, and the main reason for that is the salient power resources that uniosn and social democrats have retianed. The Model's recent resurgence is intimately linked to the ability of the trade unions to co-regulate the labour market, which is a result of the organisational and institutional resources they possess. These are, however, under attack since the election of the Reinfeldt government in 2006. A complete explanation of their contemporary role in Swedish industrial relations necessitates a nuanced theoretical approach that rejects purely materialist and interest-oriented perspectives. Instead, the article suggests a historical institutionalist framework combining interests with ideas embedded in institutional configurations. ; Publisher's Version