Nordic Model

  • Warning of a black work market

    There is a clear risk of increased social dumping in the extended Europe. Wages differ widely, and labour laws are interpreted in many different ways. That is why Niklas Bruun, professor of labour law at Sweden’s National Institute for Working Life, wants to encourage European countries to actively fight the emergence of a black labour…

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    6 minutes

  • Nordic cooperation – a question of survival

    There are those who ask whether Nordic cooperation still has a part to play in a Europe run by the EU. That does not apply to Per Unckel. The Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers is all enthusiasm. If all doubt regarding the Nordic cooperation has not been dispelled by the time he…

    8 minutes
    Nordic cooperation – a question of survival

  • The Nordic labour market in an extended Europe

    Ever since the early Nineties there has been a close cooperation between the Nordic and the Baltic countries. As the Baltic countries and Poland become members of the EU, the professed openness acclaimed by the Nordic countries through fifty years of cooperation is being put to the test.

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    8 minutes

  • The Mental Bridge

    Education and research in the Øresund region has created strong connections between Denmark and Sweden – but there’s a small difference.

    7 minutes
    The Mental Bridge

  • The labyrinth of maternity leave benefits

    For the past two years in a row, the UNDP has awarded Norway the best place to live in the world. With 10-12 months paid maternity leave, free prenatal care and delivery, and extra child care benefits once the baby is born, who could argue?

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    3 minutes

  • Long term trends in the Nordic discourse on work organization

    The long term trend in work organization has clearly been in the direction of more autonomy and responsibility associated in the work role. This has been combined with a greater emphasis on the ability of each and every member of the organization to communicate directly with other members of the organisation as well as with…

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    7 minutes

  • Council of Nordic Trade Unions: Full steam ahead?

    Free movement of labour is a major benefit, affording the opportunity for increased economic growth and welfare. That much is undisputed. “But, it is important that we are well-prepared to meet the changes and that we are aware of the possible knock-on effects,” says Sture Nordh, Vice-President of the Council of Nordic Trade Unions (NFS).

    5 minutes

  • Models are not blueprints…

    The Nordic countries love their models. The Swedish model of a welfare system with state-guaranteed security from the cradle to the grave is the best known internationally, although Denmark, Finland and Norway have very similar systems.

    2 minutes
    Models are not blueprints…

  • The Nordic Model – will it survive?

    At the start of the 1990s, the question was asked whether the Nordic model could survive. Many employers claimed that collective agreements and central bargaining were not flexible enough to provide industry with favourable enough terms. The level of organisation among employees fell. Wage earners, too, advocated many individual solutions. But the model has proved…

    4 minutes

  • Sweden: The Activity Guarantee

    Being unemployed for long periods is neither good for one’s self-confidence, health or psychological state. If you cannot find a job quickly, your chances of finding a job lessen. Sweden is currently making a big effort to get the long-term unemployed back to work.

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    3 minutes