Equality, inclusion and marketization of Nordic education: Introductory notes

Abstract

The concept of a Nordic model of education is sometimes used to refer to the considerable similarities of education reforms and systems of the five Nordic countries (i.e. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) during the second half of the 20th century-reforms that aimed at social justice, equality and cohesion not least by providing schooling of high and equal quality, regardless of children's and young people's resources, origin and location. This article discusses to what extent one may still speak of such a 'Nordic model of education', considering the impact of neoliberal policies in all of the five countries. It is concluded that even if the education systems still display a number of common, inclusive traits, extensive marketization and privatization practices in Nordic countries, and particularly of Swedish education, raise serious doubts about the survival of the alleged Nordic model.

When theories become practice - a metaphorical analysis of adult-education school-leaders’ talk

“…The study is furthermore performed in a Nordic context with its specific character (eg. Lundahl, 2016;Fejes & Nordvall, 2014;Filander, 2012;Antikainen & Kauppila, 2002) but we need additional knowledge about how school leaders act in other countries. One emerging image of adult education is that there is much concern about how to work in relation to the labour market.…”

“…The Nordic model of education is used to refer to the similarities in reforms and systems in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden (Lundahl, 2016). Equality, inclusion, enlightenment, and the enabling of 'second chances' for all adult citizens are values connected to the Nordic model, but recent studies have questioned the fit between the model and (adult) education practice in the Nordic countries (Filander, 2012;Lundahl, 2016) and discussed the commodification of education (Antikainen & Kauppila, 2002).…”

Analysis of economic convergence of Islamic justice in selected Islamic countries

“…When individuals of an organization judge the extent to which the consequences are right and ethical, they judge the extent to which distributive justice is observed in the organization. Lundahl (2016) discusses distributive justice from the point of view of the people who perform the assignment. And in procedural justice, as the process of research in social psychology changes from the emphasis on the results of allocation of rewards (distributive justice) to the emphasis on the mastery of these allocations, similar changes were made in the study of justice.…”

Parental school satisfaction in the context of segregation of basic education in urban Finland

“…Indeed, research has repeatedly shown that the emergence of parentocracy is a phenomenon not only of British educational policy and ideology but also an international one relating to developments throughout the Western world (e.g. Barrett DeWiele & Edgerton, 2016;David, 1993, p. 275), with Finland and the other Nordic countries being no exception (Lundahl, 2016;Rinne, 2000). Central to this shift towards a parentocracy are the large-scale neoliberal educational reforms implemented during the last thirty years (see Baltodano, 2012;Imsen, Blossing, & Moos, 2017;McGregor, 2009).…”