ABSTRACT

The Nordic way of doing politics is grounded in a particular mix of individualism and communitarianism, which has led to a closer alignment of moral values between the Nordic right and left. This political process has, thus, lent itself more easily to political compromises, making it possible to overcome the inherent tribal conflicts in the political system, and promote prosocial behaviour and policies. Over time, the success of the Nordic political model has led to voters developing a disposition towards punishing selfishness and rewarding altruism. However, while the model has proven resilient, the Nordic countries are not immune to shifting international trends and challenges. As in the past, the future of the Nordic model depends upon whether the Nordic countries are able to maintain the deliberative and prosocial competence-building process of negotiated solutions. While this requires political and social leadership, it will ultimately be up to the democratic citizen in Scandinavia to either maintain or dismantle the Nordic model.