Abstract
ABSTRACTThe future of the Nordic model of welfare has been widely debated in the academic literature. Some argue that the Nordic model is not sustainable under the conditions of globalization, while others argue that the way in which the Nordic model has produced long-term stability under uncertain structural conditions is evidence of the opposite. This article advances a different perspective through analyzing discourses and frameworks of meaning associated with the Nordic model, using Sweden and Finland as cases. Based on semi-structured elite interviews, I argue that while there is a consensus on the benefits of maintaining a Nordic model, the very ideas concerning the value foundations and institutional architecture of the model differ greatly between elites. There exists a variety of legitimate ideas associated with the Nordic model and, consequently, these approaches, all of which claim ownership of the term, represent legitimate facets of it, even when they initially would seem to contradict each other.
Highlights
A vast literature exists on ‘the Nordic model’ of welfare
Some argue that the Nordic model is not sustainable under the conditions of globalization, while others argue that the way in which the Nordic model has produced long-term stability under uncertain structural conditions is evidence of the opposite
Even if current actors do not share the values of the traditional golden age social democratic Nordic model or believe that they can be honored in the current circumstances, it is a strategically wise decision to package their policies with a public philosophy that relates to the Nordic/Swedish model and that, at most, represents a reformed or even improved variant of the traditional welfare state
Summary
A vast literature exists on ‘the Nordic model’ of welfare. Scholarly contributions, such as Esping-Andersen’s Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (1990), have contributed toward the Nordic model being discussed widely as a distinctive approach to welfare politics. While differing from each other, the views and accounts of elites form legitimate yet competing narratives of the core principles and characteristics of the Nordic model and, as such, challenge the ideal-typical representation as an internally coherent and predominantly (Swedish) social democratic political project. Based on the qualitative data presented here, I argue that there are a variety of ideational representations of the Nordic model of welfare in Sweden and Finland. These range from the obvious national variations to intra-national interpretations and, while they might differ significantly in their logics of appropriateness, they all are legitimate narratives of the Nordic model. The third and most substantial section concentrates on analyzing the frameworks of meaning related to the Nordic model, using Sweden and Finland as cases
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