• Michael Livingston (Rutgers Law School), ‘Scandinavia 2.0: The Nordic Model and Its Influence in North America’

Michael will talk about changes in the Nordic Model in recent decades, to emphasize cultural aspects (women’s rights, environmentalism, individual creativity) as well as economic aspects, and the influence of the model in North America. His talk will also refer to the marketing or “branding” of Nordic countries and businesses in the United States and other countries and how this affects perceptions of the Nordic Model. What are the implications of the new Trump era for the attractiveness of alternate political and social models?

• Kees van Kersbergen (AU Political Science), ‘The Moral Politics of the Welfare State: The Nordic Model in Comparative Perspective’

Kees will discuss how political scientists look at the Nordic model, in particular at the political entrenchment (and transformation) of the universal welfare state. He will report on some of the findings from a current project based on a comparative survey of citizen preferences for the welfare state and income redistribution in 10 countries. The universal Nordic model clearly stands out in terms of the public support structure for the welfare state and redistribution. How can such differences be explained and what might this imply for the attractiveness of the model for other countries? How feasible can “policy learning” from the Nordics be considered to be?

All welcome.  Coffee and cake will be served, so to give us an idea of the numbers it would be helpful if you could send an email to mary.hilson@cas.au.dk if you would like to attend.