The Nordic Model
Scandinavia since 1945
Distributed for Reaktion Books
Respected Scandinavian historian Mary Hilson surveys the political bureaucracies of the five Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—and traces their historical influences and the ways they have changed, individually and as a group, over time. The book investigates issues such as economic development, foreign policy, politics, government, and the welfare state, and it also explores prevailing cultural perceptions of Scandinavia in the twentieth century. Hilson then turns to the future of the Nordic region as a unified whole within Europe as well as in the world, and considers the re-emergence of the Baltic Sea as a pivotal region on the global stage.
The Nordic Model offers an incisive assessment of Scandinavia yesterday and today, making this an essential text for students and scholars of political science, European history, and Scandinavian studies.
Introduction: The Historical Meanings of Scandinavia
1. Consensual Democracies? The Nordic Political Model
2. The Nordic Economies
3. The Nordic Model of Welfare
4. Between East and West? The Nordic Countries in International Relations
5. Scandinavian Society: Equality, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism
Conclusion: Is There a Future for the Nordic Region?
Tables & Figures