Scandinavian Politics and Government

The objective of the course is to provide the students with a basic understanding of political structures, political actors and public policies in the Nordic countries.

Content

State- and nation building processes of the Scandinavian states, including the current status of ethnic minority groups with the societies.

The current structure of the governmental institutions, with a focus on the role of parliament, the relationship between parliaments and the executive power, the structure of the state and the relationships between the central level and regional and local authorities.

Political participation, party systems and political representation. This part focuses on the developments of electoral and other forms of participation, the structure of the party system and the linkages between the electorate and the political parties. Included in this theme, is the study of interest organizations and the 'corporatist' nature of Scandinavian societies. The topic of representation covers the operation of the electoral system, the nomination of candidates and the representation of parties and socio-economic groups in parliament.

The public policy part of the course focuses particularly on the development of and structure of the Scandinavian welfare state, while the theme on foreign policy is focused on the Scandinavian states' relationship to European integration.

A student who has completed the course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

• Demonstrate knowledge of the forms of government and the political systems of the Nordic countries.

Skills

• Compare the Nordic countries in order to identify similarities and differences related to form of government, the welfare state, parties and party systems, state- and nation-building and the relationship between the Nordic countries and the EU.
• Analyze various institutional, historical and policy processes that unite and separate the Nordic countries and thereby discuss the validity of the concept of the Nordic model.

General competence

• Critically relate concepts, models and theories to empirical examples and facts
• Write an essay based on the principles of academic writing and correct use of sources