How ‘egalitarian’ Sweden became more comfortable with wealth

By Håkan Johansson, Professor of Social Work, Lund University
Axel Vikström, Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication, Lund University

Sweden is imagined as the land of equality, modesty and Jantelagen – the unwritten rule that no one should think they are better than anyone else. But there has also been a fascination within Sweden with its billionaires, especially those who abide by these dominant cultural norms.

In the case of Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of furniture giant IKEA, Swedes appreciated that he drove an old car (a Volvo, of course), engaged with employees working on the floor in his stores, and every year personally handed…

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