Veteran policy : A comparative case study concerning veterans' legal and political status in Sweden and USA

By using a comparative case study, this study examines Swedish and American veterans' conditions after completed overseas deployment. This by comparing veterans' legal and political status and identifying the social and economic benefits specifically aimed at veterans. Furthermore, the aim is to analyze to what extent the military authority is responsible for veterans after completed international military service compared to the general welfare policies. To distinguish the different social and economic benefits specifically aimed at veterans an analysis model is used that combines analysis of the welfare state by Gøsta Esping-Andersen and Theda Skocpol. The main result reveals that Sweden has a relatively newly established veteran policy, since 2010, with a legal responsibility to assess veterans' physical and psychical status pre-, and post-deployment. The US veterans, on the other hand, have since the nations founding been included and a part of American politics. The US have a legal responsibility to provide veterans with social and economic benefits. Furthermore, American veterans, if qualified for benefits, have an extensive amount of social and economic benefits. Meanwhile Swedish veterans', even though they recieve some social and economic benefits, have to rely on the public welfare system to a higher extent than the American veterans