Logo: to the web site of the Swedish Defence University

This thesis examines the relationship between food preparedness, producer interests and consumer interests in Swedish agricultural policy between 1972-1977. Situated within the context of Sweden’s Cold War total defense, the study focuses on the actors involved in the policy process, the interests they represented, as well as the organizational and institutional conditions under which different interests could gain political influence. Drawing upon theories of collective action, corporatism and social representation, the study analyses how differences in organizational capacity, institutional access, and the social composition of political and administrative arenas affected the representation of different interests. By identifying producer and consumer interests and preparedness considerations in the actors’ statements and positions, the study further examines how these interests related to one another and the extent to which they gained traction at different stages of the policy process – from the commission’s internal deliberations to the final parliamentary decision. The empirical material consists of archival records from the 1972 Agricultural Policy Commission, the committee’s final report, consultation responses from interest organizations and public bodies, the government bill, government statements and official political documents. The findings show that food preparedness was broadly accepted as a central objective of Swedish agricultural policy, while its practical implications remained subject to political contestation. Disagreement concerned not primarily whether Sweden required sufficient domestic food production in the event of a crisis, or ultimately war, but rather the level of productive capacity necessary to meet this requirement and the economic cost that could be justified in maintaining it. The findings further indicate that the interests examined participated in the policy process under unequal organizational and institutional conditions. The composition of the policy-making arenas therefore provided different structural conditions for the representation of producer and consumer interests, and that this asymmetry best explains the outcome of the 1977 decision.