ABSTRACT
Emancipatory societal development was associated with the redistribution of resources, and a local government structure that in accordance with the landownership structure allowed for a significant role for the local municipalities in administering local political affairs. During the post-war period, it appears that these emancipatory elements of previous times are carried forward by the welfare state institutions. Institutionalised social security programmes carried on the function of redistributing resources between population groups, and local welfare services administered by the local municipalities were available on equal grounds for all citizens. These welfare state institutions sought to ensure an inclusive societal development, and to the extent that they succeeded in doing so, they may be regarded as contributing to the further liberation and emancipation of human creative potentials during the post-war period. Despite the differences in socio-economic structure and the timing of social reform, a number of common features in the emerging Nordic welfare states distinguish these countries from other contemporary nations.
