Reinterpreting the Historicity of the Nordic Model

Abstract

In conventional images of the so-called Nordic model, the strong state is opposed to markets or civil society and co-operation is opposed to conflict. These opposites appear problematic if one takes seriously the Nordic market- and interest-centered language used for the practices of social regulation, including the stubborn use of “labor market parties” instead of the EU concept “social partners”. Applying an approach sensitive to the historical and political aspects of language and concepts, the paper argues that a particular notion of social citizenship developed in the Nordic countries, in which interests rather than rights were put into the center. Such a notion of social citizenship was associated with two intertwined ideas, important in the development of the Nordic pattern of social reform: the idea of symmetry between workers and employers and the idea of a virtuous circle between divergent interests. With these ideas democracy and citizenship were combined with paid work and conflicting interests. This combination has been questioned by the projects for competitive national (and European) communities, responding to globalized and financialized capitalism. The vigorous comparisons of “models”, and the popularity of the concept of “the Nordic model”, can be seen as an aspect of this current transformation.

Forced Flexibility and Exploitation: Experiences of Migrant Workers in the Cleaning Industry

“…The collective agreements apply also to unorganized workers, including migrant workers. The tripartite structure and industrial relations in general have been closely connected to the welfare state (Kettunen 2012). However, over the last 30 years the nature of work also in Finland has started to change, with increased competition and more demands for flexibility, with migrant workers becoming increasingly excluded from the labor and social policies of the welfare state (Lillie and Greer 2007).…”

What Is a Good Workplace? Tracing the Logics of NPM among Managers and Professionals in Swedish Elderly Care

“…The well-known Saltsjöbadsavtalet labor market agreement, signed in 1938, allows employees and employers to negotiate collective agreements and resolve disputes arising in the labor market, with the state playing a passive role (Andersson et al 2006;Schmidt and Adlercreutz 1966). Although the Nordic model is in transition (Kettunen 2012), its historically embedded norms still influence workplace relations and regulations, noticeably when professionals emphasize issues relating to their working environment. Responsibility for occupational health and safety is usually delegated to first-level managers in elderly care, but collaboration with employees and/or union representatives is required (AFS 2001).…”

Employees as Individually and Collectively Acting Subjects—Key Contributions from Nordic Working Life Research

“…Kettunen (2012) suggests that a particular form of social citizenship has evolved in the Nordic countries where interests rather than rights have been central. It can be deduced that the legitimate and egalitarian interests of stakeholders form the bases for compromises among these interests.…”

“…One important position is that the legitimacy of employee interest and influence have a value by themselves. It is not just a question of using employee participation as a tool to achieve enterprise interest as expressed by top management but as a value in itself in an egalitarian and democratic society, which also implies that top management does not have a monopoly over the interpretation of the best interests of the enterprise (Hasle et al, 2010;Kettunen, 2012).…”

“…Important features are related to the welfare society (Esping-Andersen, 1990), welfare research, income distribution and gender equality (Erikson et al, 1987), social policy (Kangas & Palme, 2009), and to the labor market (Gallie, 2003;Kettunen, 2012;Schiller et al, 1993). The communality among these societies is often termed the Nordic model and although the similarities in the content and demarcation of this model are debated, for example, discussions about the Danish flexicurity model (Madsen, 2004), it is generally recognized that specific similarities observed among the Nordic countries do warrant the usage of the term "Nordic model" (Gallie, 2009;Gustavsen, 2011).…”