The Puzzle of the Scandinavian Welfare State and Social Trust

Svendsen, Gunnar Lind Haase; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

doi:10.5296/iss.v3i2.8597

Cited by 28 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Additionally, Scandinavian countries' global competitiveness scores in world competitiveness rankings are high (World Competitiveness Center, ). It is not surprising to see Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have an impressive number of globally competitive companies, such as Maersk, Lego, Novo Nordisk, IKEA, and H&M. The Scandinavian region has a high degree of trust and is known for its “Scandinavian Openness” (Strand, ; Svendsen & Svendsen, ). The reputation of “Scandinavian Openness” is based, among other things, on a large emphasis on transparency of government, security, and legislative activities in these countries (e.g., see Erkkilä, ).…”

Section: Anticorruption and Transparency In Scandinavian Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

In search of an institutional framework for anticorruption: Lessons from Scandinavia

Paik

Warner‐Søderholm

Huse

2018

Thunderbird Intl Bus Rev

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Scandinavian countries continue to build strong reputations as the world's least corrupt countries. In this case study, in a search for an institutional framework that other countries and policy makers can learn from, we explore sources of high transparency and anticorruption norms in Scandinavia. The most important lesson from this study is that legislative, normative, and cultural institutional pillars must be aligned to achieve the highest level of transparency and anticorruption. We made three main observations. First, adequate and comprehensive legislation in addition to severe noncompliance consequences contribute to an ethical business environment in Scandinavian countries. Second, a willingness to embrace integrity norms and standards through active participation in international conventions and agreements on anticorruption movements contributing to high transparency and integrity management in the Scandinavian countries. Third, a national culture that emphasizes high governmental and civic trust makes bribery and corruption less sustainable. Residents' high level of trust in public officials and police in addition to high civil and media engagement in antibribery cases results in corruption being "starved of oxygen". The findings suggest high trust levels, enforced regulative legislation, small country size, and high human development help craft a framework that drives a transparent business environment. K E Y W O R D Santicorruption, culture, institutions, Scandinavia, transparency

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Section: Anticorruption and Transparency In Scandinavian Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

In search of an institutional framework for anticorruption: Lessons from Scandinavia

Paik

Warner‐Søderholm

Huse

2018

Thunderbird Intl Bus Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…When observing social trust across nations, we observe a huge variation within total averages. In general, Scandinavia ranks at the top whereas South American and African countries hit the bottom (World Values Survey, 2017;Svendsen and Svendsen, 2015). We do, however, also observe regional variation allowing us to undertake an even more focused study of the origins of trust at the local level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Can Putnam's theory explain high levels of social trust?

Hovmand¹,

Svendsen²

2017

belgeo

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“…The Nordic countries have the highest levels of generalized trust and social capital in the Western World under normal circumstances, and these high levels have been stable for decades (11,12). Social capital can be de ned as "the ability to cooperate without written rules and extensive contracts" (13), and may therefore be linked to a population's commitment to follow guidance from the authorities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COVID-19 pandemic in Norway and Sweden – threats, trust, and impact on daily life: A comparative survey

Helsingen

Refsum

Gjøstein

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Norway and Sweden have similar populations and health care systems, but different reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Norway closed educational institutions, and banned sports and cultural activities; Sweden kept most institutions and training facilities open. We aimed to compare peoples’ attitudes towards authorities and control measures, and perceived impact of the pandemic and implemented control measures on life in Norway and Sweden. Methods: Anonymous web-based surveys for individuals age 15 or older distributed through Facebook using the snowball method, in Norway and Sweden from mid-March to mid-April, 2020. The survey contained questions about perceived threat of the pandemic, views on infection control measures, and impact on daily life. We performed descriptive analyses of the responses and compared the two countries. Results: 3,508 individuals participated in the survey (Norway 3000; Sweden 508). 79% were women, the majority were 30-49 years (Norway 60%; Sweden 47%), and about 45% of the participants in both countries had more than four years of higher education. Participants had high trust in the health services, but differed in the degree of trust in their government (High trust in Norway 17%; Sweden 37%). More Norwegians than Swedes agreed that school closure was a good measure (Norway 66%; Sweden 18%), that countries with open schools were irresponsible (Norway 65%; Sweden 23%), and that the threat from repercussions of the mitigation measures were large or very large (Norway 71%; Sweden 56%). Both countries had a high compliance with infection preventive measures (> 98%). Many lived a more sedentary life (Norway 69%; Sweden 50%) and ate more (Norway 44%; Sweden 33%) during the pandemic. Conclusion: Sweden had more trust in the authorities, while Norwegians reported a more negative lifestyle during the pandemic. The level of trust in the health care system and self-reported compliance with preventive measures was high in both countries despite the differences in infection control measures.

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The Puzzle of the Scandinavian Welfare State and Social Trust

Cited by 28 publications

References 13 publications

In search of an institutional framework for anticorruption: Lessons from Scandinavia

In search of an institutional framework for anticorruption: Lessons from Scandinavia

Can Putnam's theory explain high levels of social trust?

The COVID-19 pandemic in Norway and Sweden – threats, trust, and impact on daily life: A comparative survey

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