Norbert Götz
Norbert Götz, PhD, is Professor at the Institute of Contemporary History at Södertörn University, Sweden. He has a wide range of interests including political culture, international relations, democracy, welfare state, nationalism, peace and conceptual history, and you can read more about him here. He is also Södertörn University's representative on the board of Reimagining Norden in an Evolving World (ReNEW): An Excellence Hub in Research, Education and Public Outreach funded by Nordforsk of which nordics.info is a part.
Contributions to nordics.info
2020.07.07 | Podcast, Anders Ravn Sørensen, Kazimierz Musiał, Larisa Kangaspuro, Lizaveta Dubinka-Hushcha, Mads Mordhorst, Michael Bennedsen-Hansen, Nicola Witcombe, Norbert Götz, Nation building
Podcast: The Nordics and Identity
From the outside, it is assumed that the populations of the Nordic countries are fairly homogeneous and that there is a relatively high level of gender equality and acceptance of different sexualities and diversity. In short, identity is not much of a problem. On closer examination, however, there are similar tendencies to elsewhere, such as more…
2019.02.25 | The Quick Read, Norbert Götz, Democracy, Nation building
Folkhem
Folkhem, literally meaning ‘people’s home’, is a Swedish term for what is otherwise designated as the Swedish welfare state or the Swedish model. It is even used and discussed in the context of the Nordic welfare state or the Nordic political model, and related ideas are prominent throughout the region (e.g. folkelighed, i.e. popular culture, in…
2019.02.22 | The Quick Read, Norbert Götz, Globalisation, The Nordics in the World
United Nations and the Nordic countries
The principles and aims of the United Nations resonate in the Nordic countries, which are small welfare states with an appreciation of international law, solidarity and multilateral problem-solving. From the time of the League of Nations (the precursor to the United Nations) to the 1990s, the Nordic region developed and operated a caucusing and…
2019.02.22 | The Quick Read, Norbert Götz, Globalisation, The Nordics in the World
Internationalism and the Nordic countries
The internationalism of the Nordic countries is characterised by a general commitment to international institutions and law, agenda-setting and bridge-building between North and South, East and West alike. The Nordic countries traditionally provide high levels of development aid. These and other characteristics have elicited diverse responses,…
2019.02.21 | The Quick Read, Norbert Götz, Governance, Democracy
Parliamentary culture in the Nordic countries
The Nordic countries have a particular parliamentary culture characterised by consensus and working across party lines. Their parliaments remain influential institutions considering the general trend towards greater executive power. The principles of parliamentary government and universal suffrage were introduced comparatively early in Norden. The…
2019.02.21 | Article, Norbert Götz, Culture, Democracy
Civil society in the Nordics
The Nordic experience is characterised by an upward spiral of development resulting from a close interconnection between a strong civil society and a strong state. The term ‘civil society’ was initially used in the Nordic countries as an alien concept to denote antagonism to the dominance of the welfare state. From the late 1990s, civil society…
2019.02.21 | Article, Norbert Götz, Public policy, Democracy
Corporatism and the Nordic countries
Corporatism is about the influence of organisations and interest groups on policy making. The Nordic countries are societies with strong interest groups, acknowledged and privileged by the state, that wield considerable influence on policy making and implementation. Corporatism, or neo-corporatism, is found within industrial relations, but is also…
2019.02.06 | The Quick Read, Norbert Götz, Reputation, The Nordics in the World
Neutrality and the Nordic countries
A tendency towards neutrality during conflicts exists in all the Nordic countries, although Sweden was the only Nordic country that remained (more or less) neutral during the Second World War and the Cold War. Finland has also strived for a policy of neutrality during and after the Cold War. Denmark and Norway have not permitted NATO bases and…