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Comparative education in the North: Diversity in unity

O'Dowd, Mina LU ; Winther-Jensen, Thyge and Wikander, Lennart (2015) p.31-56
Abstract
“Is there a Nordic block, complete with a Nordic economic model and a special kind of Nordic welfare? Nordic collective security? Nordic values, Nordic sex, Nordic gloom? Undeniably the Nordic countries—the Scandinavian trio of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, plus Finland on the eastern flank and Iceland far north-west in the Atlantic—have a great many things in common. And undeniably the lure of the European Union has been drawing all the Nordics, even stand-offish Norway and Iceland, into an ever tighter embrace of rules and regulations that are bound to have an economically unifying effect. In a generation or so, perhaps, the Nordic five will come more closely together in one big European family. But, this survey will argue, for the next... (More)
“Is there a Nordic block, complete with a Nordic economic model and a special kind of Nordic welfare? Nordic collective security? Nordic values, Nordic sex, Nordic gloom? Undeniably the Nordic countries—the Scandinavian trio of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, plus Finland on the eastern flank and Iceland far north-west in the Atlantic—have a great many things in common. And undeniably the lure of the European Union has been drawing all the Nordics, even stand-offish Norway and Iceland, into an ever tighter embrace of rules and regulations that are bound to have an economically unifying effect. In a generation or so, perhaps, the Nordic five will come more closely together in one big European family. But, this survey will argue, for the next few years they are as likely to stay apart, as they have done since the end of the cold war. Each of them has been following its own particular path. Nordic solidarity? For the moment, forget it”.

So summarized Xan Smiley his view of the Nordic countries in the Economist in 1999 . In February 2013 the Nordic Countries are described in the same context as “the next supermodel”, a new model of Nordic capitalism and are heralded in a special report courtesy of the Economist for their pragmatism, which has led to “generous welfare state[s] that [do] not cost the earth”



"Unless the points are pushed too hard the two traditions could locally be placed in Denmark (N.F.S. Grundtvig) and Sweden (the construction of the “new Sweden”) respectively. Due to differences like these and others, comparison is absolutely possible among the Nordic countries and history shows that we have been good at learning from each other. The fact remains, however, that difference is importance, raising the question: has time come to put more weight on the North in its entirety as a unit of comparison?" (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
the Nordic countries, comparative eduation
host publication
Comparing Times and Spaces : Historical, theoretical and methodological approaches to comparative education
editor
Jokila, Suvi ; Kallo, Johanna and Rinne, Risto
pages
31 - 56
publisher
Finsih Educational Research Association. Research in Educational Sciences 69
ISBN
978-952-5401-71-4
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8392faba-2e2b-4535-8c0e-330321a26a9e (old id 8146445)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:04:58
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:02:33
@inbook{8392faba-2e2b-4535-8c0e-330321a26a9e,
  abstract     = {{“Is there a Nordic block, complete with a Nordic economic model and a special kind of Nordic welfare? Nordic collective security? Nordic values, Nordic sex, Nordic gloom? Undeniably the Nordic countries—the Scandinavian trio of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, plus Finland on the eastern flank and Iceland far north-west in the Atlantic—have a great many things in common. And undeniably the lure of the European Union has been drawing all the Nordics, even stand-offish Norway and Iceland, into an ever tighter embrace of rules and regulations that are bound to have an economically unifying effect. In a generation or so, perhaps, the Nordic five will come more closely together in one big European family. But, this survey will argue, for the next few years they are as likely to stay apart, as they have done since the end of the cold war. Each of them has been following its own particular path. Nordic solidarity? For the moment, forget it”.<br/><br>
So summarized Xan Smiley his view of the Nordic countries in the Economist in 1999 . In February 2013 the Nordic Countries are described in the same context as “the next supermodel”, a new model of Nordic capitalism and are heralded in a special report courtesy of the Economist for their pragmatism, which has led to “generous welfare state[s] that [do] not cost the earth”<br/><br>
<br/><br>
"Unless the points are pushed too hard the two traditions could locally be placed in Denmark (N.F.S. Grundtvig) and Sweden (the construction of the “new Sweden”) respectively. Due to differences like these and others, comparison is absolutely possible among the Nordic countries and history shows that we have been good at learning from each other. The fact remains, however, that difference is importance, raising the question: has time come to put more weight on the North in its entirety as a unit of comparison?"}},
  author       = {{O'Dowd, Mina and Winther-Jensen, Thyge and Wikander, Lennart}},
  booktitle    = {{Comparing Times and Spaces : Historical, theoretical and methodological approaches to comparative education}},
  editor       = {{Jokila, Suvi and Kallo, Johanna and Rinne, Risto}},
  isbn         = {{978-952-5401-71-4}},
  keywords     = {{the Nordic countries; comparative eduation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{31--56}},
  publisher    = {{Finsih Educational Research Association. Research in Educational Sciences 69}},
  title        = {{Comparative education in the North: Diversity in unity}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}