ABSTRACT
This chapter questions the use of the term ‘Nordic model’ in relation to Nordic international engagement and to Nordic development aid more particularly, asking how fruitful the concept is for studying Nordic aid policy or Nordic aid projects. The chapter aims to contribute with conceptual clarification, showing the ways in which the term is used within development discourse and development research, arguing that the term may have had different functions at different times and within different contexts. The chapter provides a brief historical background on Nordic development aid efforts, pointing out the similarities and differences in the countries’ approaches to development, and the basis for the widely held belief that there is such a thing as a Nordic model for development aid. The main section discusses the different ways in which the concept Nordic model is used within development discourse and literature, showing how the concept fulfills three distinct functions: as a justification for development aid, as a form of aid practice and as an export article in aid. The chapter then returns to the initial question: how useful is the concept of the Nordic model in discussions of development aid?
