For outsiders, the popularity and social sustainability of the extensive scope of Nordic welfare states, such as the strong role of the state and high levels of taxation, remains something of a mystery. Making use of recent international survey data, this important book goes some way towards solving this mystery. It underlines the remarkable success of Nordic welfare institutions which help to maintain not only low rates of poverty and inequality, but high levels of well-being, trust, social capital and political participation. Jochen Clasen, University of Edinburgh, UK Nordic welfare states have long enjoyed a leadership position in the provision of social welfare. They are now caught up in the current of thorough-going reform that is sweeping across Europe. This book uses data from the European Social Survey in fresh and innovative ways to demonstrate the resilience of Nordic models and to show how political discourses are changing across a whole range of policy areas. Peter Taylor-Gooby, University of Kent, UK This book addresses the effect that institutional settings typical to the Nordic countries have upon people s attitudes and behaviour. Placed within a European comparative perspective, the analyses presented by the contributing authors centre around issues relating to the welfare state, politics, family and work, as well as cultural concerns including economic morality and religiosity. Despite differences between the Nordic countries, the overall impression given is of a shared outlook and way of life. In the European context, the Nordic countries particularly stand out as a distinct group therefore demonstrating their institutional similarities. Providing highly rigorous and up-to-date data, with a wide coverage of topics, this book will be of great interest to academics and students in sociology, social policy and political science. It will also appeal to anyone interested in the Nordic countries in general.

Associations provide the most appropriate perspective to the Nordic conception of democracy. The contributions in this book analyze Nordic associations, both in a comparative and historically informed perspective. An extensive introduction relates the historical development of the Nordic countries both to Western Europe and to each other. Then, in the succeeding chapters, the book focuses on Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden and how they relate to each other or to other European countries. Reflections are made on the relevance of the long historical time span. An eloquent indication of the Nordic particularity is the importance of passive membership. It tells of the representation as the key quality of Nordic associations: it has been more important to belong, or to "be part of," than to take part. But passive membership also poses the question of the viability of the Nordic association-based practices. Does the present "crisis of representation" signal the demise of the Nordic model, or can it serve as a springboard for new forms of vigilance?

This book explores the ways in which representative democracy works in two neighbouring collections of European states: the Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and the Baltic (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). Starting from a Nordic vantage point, contributors explore the extent to which aspects of politics function similarly or dissimilarly across the two groups of democratic states, acknowledging the differences in models of democracy that occur within each group. Authors explore the possibility that some of the apparently successful institutional features of Nordic politics have somehow influenced politics in the Baltic states, despite the considerable contextual differences between the two groups. The Nordic-Baltic comparison is particularly worthy of study, given the comparative stability of the Nordic democracies and the half century of occupation by a totalitarian dictatorship that the Baltic states endured. The central, guiding questions are: how does political representation work in countries that have a lot in common, but also a few significant contextual dissimilarities; and what, if any, relationships between the respective styles of democracy can be identified? Using a variety of theories, perspectives and methods, the empirical studies that populate the book seek to offer reflections on these questions.

Recently the topic of civil society has generated a wave of interest, and a wealth of new information. Until now no publication has attempted to organize and consolidate this knowledge. The International Encyclopedia of Civil Society fills this gap, establishing a common set of understandings and terminology, and an analytical starting point for future research. Global in scope and authoritative in content, the Encyclopedia offers succinct summaries of core concepts and theories; definitions of terms; biographical entries on important figures and organizational profiles. In addition, it serves as a reliable and up-to-date guide to additional sources of information. In sum, the Encyclopedia provides an overview of the contours of civil society, social capital, philanthropy and nonprofits across cultures and historical periods. For researchers in nonprofit and civil society studies, political science, economics, management and social enterprise, this is the most systematic appraisal of a rapidly growing field.

Taking a comparative perspective, this book casts new light on the changing inequalities in Europe.

A study of regional and local co-operations across national borders in the nordic area (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) and also of regional co-operation out of the area (across the Baltic Sea, the North Seas or in the Barents Region). The focus of the study is on the process of region-building. Co-operation between regions across national borders is seen as a creative process, something that has to be nutured and guided. The book portrays these processes in detail through a series of case studies that represent significant cases of this type of Nordic area and provides a view of what may constitute "success" in such ventures. The authors also discuss what such processes may signify for general Nordic co-operation against the backdrop of European integration and seek to indicate what Nordic regions may bring to European regionalism. Such a discussion is of particular interest since the EU acquired a new Nordic dimension after Sweden and Finland joined. Several of the chapters are written by two editors, in addition, case studies of individual regions have been commissioned from authors with specialized knowledge of the each case.