Nordic cooperation and region building
This page provides articles about the formal bodies of the Nordic region, such as the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers, and the many interesting and diverse informal and unofficial networks that are perhaps less easy to identify. While acknowledging the similarities and a common history that binds the region together, it is not intended that internal variation and complexity be overlooked. New articles are added regularly.
2020.07.28 | Biography, Jonathan Pugh, Governance
Jan Eliasson (b. 1940)
Jan Eliasson has been one of Sweden’s most prominent diplomats since as far back as the 1970s. Not only has he served in key roles for the Swedish Foreign Ministry and international organizations, but he is also renowned for his role as a mediator in numerous conflicts. His support for the concept of conflict prevention. Among his many roles, he…
2020.07.17 | Video, Byron Zachary Rom-Jensen, Region-building, Nation building, Public policy
Film: The Nordic Model: A Complex Concept
The Nordic model’ is a concept that appears frequently in scholarship, media reports, and public debates to refer to the socio-political organization and progressive values of the Nordic countries. While the concept has been applied since at least the 1980s, it lacks a standard definition and thus is open to variation and alteration. The term has…
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…
2020.06.03 | Article, Byron J. Nordstrom, Labour markets, Governance
An overview of population trends in the Nordic countries since the Second World War
The Nordic countries have seen a number of important changes to their populations since the end of World War II. Perhaps most notable among these are growth, increased diversity, and gradual aging. Labour migration has also played a role and detailed people registers mean that research of all kinds can be undertaken with accessible and…
2020.05.20 | Podcast, Simon Mølholm Olesen, The Borders of the Nordics, Region-building
Podcast: The Danish decolonisation of Greenland, 1945-54
Listen to an account of the Danish decolonisation of Greenland in either English or Danish! This podcast is part of a series where existing material on nordics.info is read out in assorted languages by colleagues and friends. Great for learning Danish or English. / Lyt til historien om Grøndlands afkolonialisering på engelsk eller dansk! Denne…
2020.04.28 | Article, Nicholas Prindiville, Governance, The Borders of the Nordics
Ingria and the Ingrian Finns
Ingria is the historic name for the isthmus between the Baltic Sea and Lake Lagoda, connecting modern-day Finland with modern-day Estonia. Today, this region is dominated by the city of St Petersburg. Over the last four hundred years, Ingria has seen numerous invasions, annexations and changes to state boundaries, reflecting the major historical…
2020.04.21 | Article, Francesco Zavatti, The Borders of the Nordics, Cooperation, Architecture & design
A short history of the Oresund Bridge
A globally renowned icon, the bridge is in fact part rail/road bridge and part tunnel spanning the Oresund (or ‘The Sound’) between Denmark and Sweden. It was completed in 2000, but it has a rather long and convoluted history. It is a symbol of many and sometimes opposing things: Nordic cooperation in the economy and engineering, as well as the…
2020.02.25 | Article, Lizaveta Dubinka-Hushcha, The Nordics in the World, Region-building
An overview of Denmark and its integration with Europe, 1940s to the Maastricht Treaty in 1993
Denmark has been a cautious participant of European supranational integration since the Second World War, evaluating the pros and cons of integration, and making the decision to ‘opt in’ when there were benefits. The driving force behind Denmark's accession to the EEC was the desire to become part of an open European economy, rather than support…
2019.12.17 | Video, Nicola Witcombe, Branding, Region-building, The Nordic Model
Film: Why talk about the Nordics as a region?
Are the Nordic countries really that similar to one another? - Or different from the rest of the world? Is discussion of 'the Nordics' simply a branding exercise, or can it be a useful analytical lens? Join Nicola Witcombe, the editor of nordics.info, in a brief exploration of the some of the ways people talk about the Nordics. This is the first…
2019.11.22 | Article, Helge Ø. Pharo, Cooperation, Region-building
Nordic Cooperation 1947 – 1960: a Norwegian perspective
Immediately before and after the Nordic Council was founded in 1952, there was much debate over what form cooperation should take amongst the Scandinavian/Nordic countries, primarily with respect to the economy and defence. Norway’s attempts to support a customs union/common market in 1947, 1950 and 1954 belied its repeated blocking of initiatives…