Nordic countries are known for having extensive welfare services, a highly compressed wage structure owing to strong social partners, as well as effective regulation and governance in public administration. Various typologies capture aspects of the institutional features of families of nations across various policy areas, showing that there is a specific Nordic variant of political economy. While there is an extensive literature focusing on socio-economic outcomes in the Nordic countries, there is less scholarly focus on the linkages between the regulatory processes, and their policy output, in response to various challenges. This volume examines how exogenous challenges (market liberalization promoted by EU integration and the gig economy, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic) and endogenous challenges in the welfare state (regulation of child-care quality and retirement ages) are tackled in a selection of Nordic countries.
Here is a brief video summarizing the purpose of the special issue and presenting the introductory article.
Content
Going Nordic – Can the Nordic Model Tackle Grand Challenges and Be a Beacon to Follow? Caroline de la Porte, Mads Dagnis Jensen and Jon Kvist
Will there be a Nordic model in the platform economy? Evasive and integrative platform strategies in Denmark and Sweden, Anna Ilsøe & Carl Fredrik Söderqvist
Still a poster child for social investment? Changing regulatory dynamics of early childhood education and care in Denmark and Sweden, Caroline de la Porte, Trine Larsen and Åsa Lundqvist
Regulating the retirement age—Lessons from Nordic pension policy approaches, Fritz von Nordheim and Jon Kvist
The Nordic governments' responses to the Covid-19 pandemic: A comparative study of variation in governance arrangements and regulatory instruments, Tom Christensen, Mads Dagnis Jensen, Michael Kluth, Gunnar Helgi Kristinsson, Kennet Lynggaard, Per Lægreid, Risto Niemikari, Jon Pierre, Tapio Raunio, Gústaf Adolf Skúlason