Ever the committed egalitarians – or the end of Scandinavian exceptionalism? Comparing equality and welfare state preferences among voters and parties

Claims of Scandinavian exceptionalism have a long history in comparative political economy and welfare state research, not least regarding their approach to inequality. But are Scandinavian political parties and citizens (still) committed egalitarians? This chapter sets out to contribute to this debate by investigating over time trends in both political and popular support for reducing inequality. In doing so, it explores not only levels of support for redistribution but also the degree of cross-party/voter variation in that support – examining the extent to which parties and voters of differing political persuasion have remained supportive of a broader egalitarian project. Through an analysis of party manifesto and public opinion data, this approach allows us to investigate the durability of Scandinavian egalitarian exceptionalism and the extent to which political parties in these countries still reflect a broad, pro-redistribution, middle-class consensus.