Jämlikhetsbegreppet i den socialdemokratiska retoriken- En jämförande innehållsanalys på nationell och lokal nivå

Previous research suggests that the concept of equality has changed in the discourse of the Swedish Social Democrats since they lost power to the right wing parties in the 2006 elections. The purpose of this study was to analyze the concept of equality in the rhetorics of the Swedish Social Democrats within the areas of education and work by implementing a content analysis at the national and local level, studying and comparing the party’s Political Guidelines 2009 at the national level and the Annual Report 2012 of the Municipality of Piteå at the local level. An analytical model consisting of six aspects of equality based on my theoretical framework was used to analyze the empirical material. The result shows that the traditionally important aspect equal value and rights comes forward strongly both at the national and local level, while security and cooperation/solidarity are weak rhetorically at both levels. The aspect power to influence is primarily related to the feminist perpective at both levels. The aspect redistribution of resources and extra support is at the local level mainly underlined in relation to interventions for young people, whereas a broader perspective is brought forward at the national level. The aspect freedom of choice is especially strong at the national level, in relation to education in particular. This aspect is weak at the local level. The study also suggests that a focus on grades and the concept of knowledge with respect to the individual in the educational system seems to constitute a strong component in the concept of equality in the Social Democrats’ rhetorics in the analyzed documents. The result of this study may serve to better understand the political rhetorics at different levels and contribute to future research