Storsamhället

Storsamhället is a Swedish term that denotes a large-scale, highly organized society with strong public institutions and extensive welfare provisions. The expression combines stor meaning “large” and samhälle meaning “society,” and is used in sociological and political discourse to describe modern industrial or welfare-oriented societies where the state plays a central role in shaping economic and social life.

In Swedish public debate, storsamhället is often contrasted with smaller-scale or more decentralized forms of social organization. Depending on the context, it can carry a neutral descriptive sense or an evaluative tone, ranging from appreciation for social cohesion and solidarity to concern about bureaucracy, taxation, and state overreach. The term is commonly linked to discussions about public administration, social security, education, healthcare, and economic planning as facets of a storsamhället.

Related concepts include the welfare state (välfärdsstat), the public sector (offentlig sektor), centralization (centralisering), and state capacity. The phrase may also appear in comparative discussions that place Nordic social models alongside other development paths. It is primarily a descriptive label in discourse rather than a formal policy category.

Notes on usage and nuance: the interpretation of storsamhället can vary with political orientation and scholarly perspective. Some see it as a description of effective collective solutions and social protection, while others view it as a reminder of bureaucratic complexity and state intrusion. In translation, it may be rendered as “the big society” or “the large-scale society,” with attention to the connotations present in the surrounding text.