A Nordic Nirvana?: Gender, Citizenship, and Social Justice in the Nordic Welfare States

The Nordic model has emerged as some kind of exemplar in much center-left political debate. This overview article starts with a brief account of this political positioning and of the values underpinning the Nordic model. The main focus, however, is the extent to which the Nordic welfare states have been successful in promoting a women-friendly, gender-inclusive model of citizenship, taking account of the differences between the Nordic countries. It offers both a "half-full" and a "half-empty" analysis and ends with the challenge posed to the Nordic model by growing ethnic diversity.