Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/270809 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
Perspectives in Economic and Social History
Publisher: 
Routledge, London
Abstract: 
The Nordic Model is the 20th-century Scandinavian recipe for combining stable democracies, individual freedom, economic growth and comprehensive systems for social security. But what happens when Sweden and Finland - two countries topping global indexes for competitiveness, productivity, growth, quality of life, prosperity, and equality - start doubting themselves and their future? Is the Nordic Model at a crossroads? Historically, consensus, continuity, social cohesion, and broad social trust have been hailed as key components for the success and for the self-images of Sweden and Finland. In the contemporary, however, political debates in both countries are increasingly focused on risks, threats, and worry. Social disintegration, political polarization, geopolitical anxieties, and threat of terrorism are often dominant themes. This book focuses on what appears to be a paradox: countries with low income differences, high faith in social institutions, and relatively high cultural homogeneity becoming fixated on the fear of polarization, disintegration, and diminished social trust. Unpacking the presentist discourse of "worry" and a sense of interregnum at the face of geopolitical tensions, digitalization, and globalization, as well as challenges to democracy, the chapters take steps back in time and explore the current conjecture through the eyes of historians and social scientists, addressing key aspects of and challenges to both the contemporary and future Nordic Model. In addition, the functioning and efficacy of the participatory democracy and current protocols of decision-making are debated. This work is essential reading for students and scholars of the welfare state, social reforms, and populism, as well as Nordic and Scandinavian studies.
Subjects: 
democratic peace
democratic social consensus
economic history
egalitarian
history of welfare states
Nordic welfare state
national welfare
redistribution
safety net
social history
social integration
social welfare
welfare economics
welfare history
welfare policy
welfare state
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-0-429-02669-0
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-nd Logo
Document Type: 
Book
Document Version: 
Published Version

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