Domestic violence in the United States and Sweden: A welfare state typology comparison within a power resources framework

SynopsisThe prevalence and impact of domestic violence have been actively addressed in Western democracies, especially since the early 1990s. Although almost all Western countries have responded to this form of violence, little work has studied the issue comparatively on a state or societal level. Comparing the variations of state responses to domestic violence allows for a better understanding of how governments, and their respective agencies such as the police and judiciary, differ in terms of how social provisions are provided. Through a feminist critique, this article addresses this issue through a content analysis of related domestic violence legislation in the United States and Sweden. Specifically, the article argues that differences in how the United States and Sweden respond to domestic violence is best understood when variations of welfare state regimes are examined (needs-based versus universal-based) through a Power Resources perspective (altered to incorporate a feminist perspective), which is based on de-commodification, full employment, and full citizenship.