Neoliberalism and Welfare States : A case study of two EU member states’ pension systems

Abstract: Sweden and Hungary both applied for European Union membership in the beginning of the 1990s. The 1990s were also the years of economic deregulation inspired by an ideology: neoliberalism, which affected many policy fields. Since the early 1990s, both countries have transformed aspects of their welfare systems and carried out overarching pension reforms. This paper aims to study whether neoliberalism through the EU has affected the two countries welfare system. The effect of neoliberalism on the welfare system is examined by doing a comparative case study on Hungary’s and Sweden’s pension reforms from the 1990’s all the way to the 2020’s. The EU’s role in this process is presented through a policy analysis of EU directives aimed at regulating the operations of occupational pension providers.