Democracy

In this category, you will find articles on democracy and the Nordics, including parliaments, voting systems, egalitarianism, consensual democracy, social democracy and the welfare state. Categories are interpreted widely.

Freedom of the press in Iceland during the Napoleonic wars

A drawing of several people inside a house. A man is reading from a book, with a woman standing behind him, looking down on the book. Everyone is gathered around a fire, and several other people are both standing and sitting down, listening to the story.
- Margrét Gunnarsdóttir

An international current affairs publication in Iceland (Minnisverð tíðindi or Noteworthy News) ran for eight years at the turn of the nineteenth…

Public opinion on the EU in Iceland since 1980

The logo of the EU
- Ragnar Auðun Árnason

Back in the 1980s and 90s, support for joining the European Union in Iceland was split into three, a bit like it is today: for, against and undecided.…

The emergence of Norwegian civil society in the 19th century

Caricature of people in a pyramid: King at the top, supported by the upper class with floss hats, again supported by the many workers
- Jan Eivind Myhre

Voluntary organisations were a new and important phenomenon in Norway in the nineteenth century and included many different types of associations,…

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, b. 1930

Portrait of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir. Here, she is a young woman with blond short hair, standing upright wearing a black long trenchcoat and a formal hat.
- Kevin Hogg

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is an Icelandic politician. She served as the country’s president for 16 years, using the office to promote Icelandic culture…

Imagining Nordicity in the American political discourse

Large conference room with white upholstery with three large screens with "socialism", "flexicurity" and "democratic" on them.
- Oana Godeanu-Kenworthy

The Nordic region is frequently presented in the American media as prosperous and business-friendly, as well as allowing for extensive welfare…

Interview: The relationship between Denmark and Germany: politics and culture since 1800

Anna Sandberg, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen.
- Anna Lena Sandberg

In this short video, Anna Sandberg, Associate Professor in the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies at Copenhagen University, gives an…

Democracy in the shadow of populism - a Nordic way out?

a young boy burning a newspaper
- Monica Quirico

The “Nordic model” is often presented as a solution to the dominance of neoliberalism and the rise of populism. Populist tendencies within the region,…