Introducing the Study of Nordic Cooperation

Abstract

To rediscover Nordic cooperation this article develops a ‘conceptual grammar’ that provides general theoretical ‘images’ of cooperation that are systematically applied. Being supplementary analytical constructs, moreover, these images capture great variety and differentiation in Nordic cooperation. Next, this article provides a review of two sets of literature that are of particular relevance to this thematic issue. The first is a broader literature on European integration. The second is studies of Nordic cooperation. The article closes with an overview of the contributions to this thematic issue.

How Nordic Solidarity Failed the COVID-19 Test: Uncoordinated Pandemic Responses and the Decline of Nordic Health Cooperation

“…Our framework is informed by the golden age of Nordic cooperation in the 1950-1970s when coordinated domestic reforms and formal cooperation initiatives fuelled each other. Our account challenges recent arguments according to which Nordic cooperation is "alive and kicking" despite a decline in formal cooperation and still thrives through informal networking and soft coordination among national administrations and stakeholders (Stie & Trondal, 2020). We suggest that the difficulties encountered cannot be solely blamed on the unique challenges posed by the pandemic.…”

Differentiation in the European Union in Post‐Brexit and ‐Pandemic Times: Macro‐Level Developments with Meso‐Level Consequences

“…Health agencies in Norway and Sweden, for example, activated different strategies first to combat the virus nationally and second in their adoption of advice and services from the ECDC. Contrary to the general observation of tight agency networks among the Nordic countries (Schrama et al, 2020; Stie and Trondal, 2020), the Norwegian and the Swedish health agencies adopted opposite strategies in both regards, for example regarding the implementation of lockdowns and with regards to their referral to the ECDC. Reflecting different domestic institutional designs and past choices, the Norwegian and Swedish governments differed in how they framed and managed the crisis – as a healthcare crisis (in Norway) and a public health crisis (in Sweden; Askim and Bergström, 2021).…”

The Open Balkan as a Development Determinant of the Western Balkan Countries

“…Examples of the integration processes of the countries that are geographically close, e.g. the Benelux countries (Korauš et al, 2018), the Nordic countries (Stie & Trondal, 2020), the Baltic countries (Musiał & Šime, 2021), the Visegrad countries (Kajánek, 2022), which are in line with European values and the Schengen Agreement (Felbermayr et al, 2018) could be a good guide for successful regional cooperation in the Western Balkans. Regional initiatives could contribute to the socio-economic development of the Western Balkans.…”