This is the introductory chapter for the book entitled Scrutinizing Polarization: Patterns and consequences of occupational transformations in the Swedish labour market (Routledge). The starting point of the book is the changing employment and job structure in Western economies, and the Swedish economy in particular, and the question of whether these economies are moving towards polarisation. A lot of the previous research has regarded digital technological advancements as the main driver of occupational change. However, in this book we argue that the perspective must be widened, both when it comes to indicators measuring change, and regarding causes of occupational transformation. Concerning the latter, and particularly in the Swedish or Nordic context, changes in the large public sector, mainly caused by political priorities rather than technological change, need to be considered. This introductory chapter also scrutinises what the concept of polarisation means and refers to. Distinctions among value polarisation, bi-polarisation and social polarisation are discussed and put in motion in the analyses in this book. The chapter ends with a brief overview of the themes and analysis of the different chapters.