Aims: 1) To describe, analyse, compare and contrast the nature of politics and policy-making in the five Nordic states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden 2) To adopt a thematic approach to understanding politics in the region Objectives/outcomes: 1) At the end of the course students should be able critically to review the main features of the political systems of the Nordic countries and to place Finnish practice in a wider comparative perspective. The course will start with an introduction to contemporary Scandinavian politics. It will proceed from the 'gold standard' of a set of strong, consensus-based democracies with comprehensive welfare systems. 'Paradise', so to speak, involved dominant social democrat-driven states, providing 'womb-to-tomb' protection underpinned by organised political societies displaying high levels of associationalism (social capital). Following the 'set-up' the question of 'paradise lost' will be considered by reference three macro-change processes and their ramifications. 1) Social structural change and changing patterns of political participation: from class-based to issue-based mobilisation; issue-based voting and inter-party competition; distinguishing interest in, and involvement in politics. 'Spectator Democracy' (Goul Andersen). 2) Party system change: from social democracy to 'disintegrating democracy' in Norway (Østerud), 'party-based democracy on trial' in Finland (Karvonen and Paloheimo). 3) Macro-economic change: the impact of globalisation and Europeanisation; the crisis in the euro-zone (albeit Finland is the only member); the rise of nationalist/chauvinist sentiment, reflected and reinforced in extreme/populist radical right parties, inter alia, the parliamentary breakthrough in 2010 of the [formerly neo-Nazi] Sweden Democrats. Evidence of anti-immigrant, anti-Islam sentiment. Anders Breivik; the Nokia 'bubble' bursts. Are the Nordic states making international news for all the wrong reasons? Following a critical examination of Scandinavian politics today, the course will revert in time to the completion of mass democracy and the introduction of proportional electoral systems. It will essay a longitudinal, socio-historical perspective with the focus on party-building and parties as a link between state and society. Lipset and Rokkans's four formative revolutions and an application of the Lipset and Rokkan model to the Nordic context. Sweden as the prototype of the five-party 'Scandinavian party system model' (Berglund and Lindström) and deviations from the Swedish protype. What about the parenthetical 's'? The first part of the course will conclude by examining the relative strengths of the historic party types. It will describe and analyse the electoral supremacy of social democracy in Denmark, Norway and most notably Sweden; the strength and resilience of agrarianism in Finland; the strength of the radical left in Norden; the merger of liberalism and conservatism in Iceland; the historic party system(s) from a voter perspective.

Course Schedule

October 22 Introduction. Seeing yourself as others see you

October 24 Sartori: “It is impossible to compare stones and rabbits” [How] can we compare the Nordic states?

October 29 What are the main features of the Nordic model? The ‘Admiration Society’ perspective

October 31 ‘Trouble in Paradise: On the hijab and Danish meatballs

November 5 Is the Nordic model too old for the catwalk?

November 7 The ‘Hell on Earth’ Scenario: American, British and Swedish ‘Hawks’

November 12 ‘Is there anything distinctive about Scandinavian Politics Today? [seminar]

November 14 Less, less, less and less: Whatever happened to the Nordic model?

November 19 Gender equality and the representation of minorities in Scandinavia

November 21 The advent of mass democracy and female tram drivers

November 26 The making of the Scandinavian party system model: Testing your ‘mental arithmetic’

November 28 How far was class the basis of Nordic party politics until the late 1960s?

December 3  New parties break the mould: The Earthquake elections of 1970-73

December 5 That ‘Thin Red Line’: Explaining the Strength of Scandinavian Social Democracy

December 10 From Class to Catchall Parties?: the Agrarian-Centre Parties

December 12 Conclusions  

Email registration to david.arter@uta.fi by October 8 essential

The Assessment is by Course Diary and Written Assignment (English or Finnish).

Essay assignment
http://www.uta.fi/jkk/pol/index/SPT ASSIGNMENT.pdf