Differentiating Solidarity in Italy and Sweden

Is the pursuit of equality born out of radical uprisings or does it emerge from broad and deliberate economic planning? How do the initial framing, inclusiveness and radicalization interact with the existing collective bargaining structures? In both Italy and Sweden, in the 1960s (with some earlier attempts in Sweden), there were deliberate initiatives to improve pay conditions for low-paid workers. Wage differentials between low skilled workers and both average and higher skilled workers fell dramatically, in line with the goals of these initiatives. However, the cases differed tremendously in the ways in which ideas about solidarity and equality evolved, were formulated and then layered onto existing institutional frameworks. This paper examines the construction of widespread egalitarian arrangements in the 1960s and 1970s in Italy and Sweden, detailing specific policies and bargaining practices that brought about high levels of wage equality. It studies the roots of ideas underpinning emergent egalitarian bargaining practices in each case, paying close attention to how such practices were layered onto existing configurations.