Introduction: Historical and theoretical perspectives on Scandinavian political systems

Still a trustworthy ally? Civil society and the transformation of Scandinavian democracy

“…(Demokratiutredningen, 2000, p. 242) In sum, put side by side, these governmental democracy audits seemed to find that the integrated Scandinavian model of democracy appeared to be somewhat diverging, as could also be seen in the statistics the audits rested on (Table 1). It is, however, difficult to assess whether the audits were indeed capturing new systemic differences between the Scandinavian democracies; perhaps they had simply exposed longstanding characteristics that had never been captured so clearly in earlier research (Strandberg, 2006). The scholars may also have taken different normative approaches to the audits, and this may have reinforced the apparent disparity.…”

“…Swedes, in contrast, probably embody the most unifying formula-our grand metaphor of The People's Home (Folkhemmet) included nation and state as well as the collective of the people. Norwegians, finally, appear to have upheld the sharpest distinction between people and class, for instance by assigning the Social Democratic party a strong position outside the Parliament and government-in contrast, for instance, to the Swedish Social Democrats, whose executive office has long since been found inside governmental ministries (Rothstein, 1996;Strandberg, 2006). Early on, the social service production of the Scandinavian civil society was mostly replaced by the welfare state, not least through its steadily growing local municipalities.…”

“…Corporatism, as well as collectivist democratic ideals, more deeply rooted in the nation than in individuals, paved the way for democracy. This is truer for Sweden and Norway, while Denmark had a slightly more liberal experience, partly as a consequence of its comparatively strong peasantry and a bourgeoisie striving for liberal democracy-demonstrated, for instance, by its private schools (Strandberg, 2006).…”

The End of a Distinctive Model of Democracy? Country‐diverse Orientations among Young Adult Scandinavians

“…In sum, these governmental democracy audits found that the integrated Scandinavian model of democracy appeared to be under liquidation, as could also be seen in the statistics upon which the audits rested (Table 1). It is, however, difficult to assess whether the audits were indeed capturing new systemic differences between the Scandinavian democracies; perhaps they had simply exposed longstanding characteristics that had never been captured so clearly in earlier research (Strandberg 2006). The scholars may also have taken different normative approaches to the audits, which may have reinforced the apparent disparity.…”