Scandinavian Politics Today

Book excerpt: This volume represents a unique study of contemporary politics and policy-making in the five nation-states and three Home Rule territories of the Nordic region. Written in a lively and readable style by an expert in the field, its approach is systematically thematic and comparative. Chapters deal with current political science issues such as nation-building and state-building, party system change, semi-presidentialism and post-corporatism, as well as addressing intrinsically important regional questions such as whether or not there is a Nordic model of government, a distinctively Scandinavian form of parliamentarianism and a superior welfare system. There is also detailed discussion of the Nordic states in their strategic external environment, focusing on the post-war security configuration in northern Europe and the impact of European integration on Scandinavia.