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Employees' pro-social motivation has been shown to be positively related to job satisfaction, especially when the perceived usefulness of the job to society and other people is high. There is, however, a lack of analyses which include both public and private employees, and it has not yet been studied whether the relationships are robust across welfare state regimes. This study therefore examines the moderated relationship between pro-social motivation and job satisfaction. Using data from the cross-national 2005 ISSP survey (14 countries, N = 10,630), it confirms that the relationship between pro-social motivation and job satisfaction is moderated by perceived usefulness of the job for society and other people. Usefulness again depends on the individual's employment sector (public versus private), and this public-private difference in perceived usefulness also varies between different welfare state regimes. This indicates that sector differences in how pro-social motivation affects job satisfaction depends on the broader institutional context, and the article therefore contributes with important knowledge for the recruitment and retention of motivated and satisfied employees in a period of changing public-private responsibilities in the provision of welfare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article local governance in the Swedish context is discussed. A case study of a Swedish city is framed in its historical, national and international context. By locating the redevelopment of an old harbour within a historical context, new insights are brought into the understanding of local governance. Cities are indeed nested. Deteriorating public finances, the deregulation of the economy (nationally and globally), the changed status of the welfare state, the restructuring of industry and the neo-liberal wave all taken together form a formidable challenge. A radical questioning of the values, principles and forms of the Swedish welfare state has tangible impacts on local governance. It is concluded that Swedish municipal actors face the dual challenge of acting efficiently (being sensitive to the needs and demands of local elites), while keeping democratic legitimacy (being sensitive to the needs and demands of all citizens). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the implications of the Scandinavian model of social, economic and political advancement for Europe as a whole. According to the author, the model depicts a considerable interest between capitalism and socialism which enables Scandinavian countries to attain rapid increase, welfare state sustainment and establish mechanism to advance their employment rate. It also discusses the attained distinction of its members in terms of social and democratic traditions and corporatism as well as the negative and positive aspects of the model.