In Focus
The hole that must be filled: the energy crisis and EU's green transition
There had never been so much money for the green transition in Europe as there was in February 2022. But then Russia started its war against Ukraine. Europe answered by cutting the import of gas and other fossil fuels from Russia. How will this impact on the green transition? Will it speed up or must someone pull the emergency brake? The answer might be both.
Danish government green flights plan causes turbulence
The Danish government has promised that the first carbon neutral domestic flights will operate from 2025 and that all domestic flights will be carbon neutral from 2030. Industry giants will start large-scale production of green aviation fuel even sooner. All good but not enough, says environment think-tank.
Finnish EU Green Capital kept the transition going
Many cities are fighting for the honour of becoming the European Green Capital. In Lahti, which held the title in 2021, the environmental work and green projects continue apace.
A fish beer, anyone? The Finnish brewery that went green
Beer and the environment might not be obvious bedfellows. But the little brewery Ant Brew in Lahti uses waste products that would normally have been thrown out in order to create new and exciting beers.
Reindeer herders want Norwegian wind farm demolished
Europe’s largest onshore wind power plant, built near Trondheim in Norway by Fosen Vind, could face dismantling after a supreme court win by indigenous reindeer herders.
The male role in the Nordics – in crisis or developing?
Two authors from Denmark and Sweden have written books on the male role – one concluding it is in crisis, the other believes it is evolving. Yet both underline the importance of jobs and highlight the negative consequences faced by men who cannot find one – especially among immigrants.
Magdalena Andersson increases Nordic gender equality
This year's International Women's Day on 8 March is historic. The distribution of power in the Nordics has never been this equal, according to the Nordic Labour Journal's gender equality barometer, where women get a record 92 points.
Danish Queen historically important for gender equality
The Danes chose a woman to be sovereign, and Queen Margrethe has made a considerable contribution toward gender equality.
Finland's tech sector's culture of silence on gender equality
Women who have chosen a tech career tend to avoid gender equality debates, according to the Nordwit centre of excellence which has spent the past five years studying women's careers in technology-driven work environments.
Is there gender equality among Nordic entrepreneurs?
Both in Sweden and in Finland there are more male than female entrepreneurs. What happens to gender equality when women live with men who are entrepreneurs? Are male and female entrepreneurs motivated by different things?
NordForsk funding labour market research with 50m kroner
NordForsk is set to announce close to 50 million Norwegian kroner (€5m) in funding for research on the future of work in the Nordics. The Corona pandemic means the need for research is considerable.
Norwegian researchers' deep-dive into male power structures
It started with the question of whether female conscripts are more accepted by male ones if they sleep in the same room. It ended with disclosures of sexual harassment during police training in Norway. Dag Ellingsen led a research project funded by NordForsk which in more ways than one showed the benefits of Nordic research cooperation.
10 year Swedish research programme into the future of working life
Green change, globalisation and artificial intelligence are among the changes facing the labour market today and in the future. In 2017, a ten-year-long research programme was launched in Sweden, aimed to better understand and tackle the future challenges facing working life.
Danish foundation supporting more research on welfare states
The Rockwool Foundation has shares in a major Danish industrial concern and billions of kroner in assets which help fund research into the welfare state’s challenges. That is the kind of research the Nordics need more of, believes the foundation’s president Elin Schmidt.
Varða in Iceland: a bridge between trade unions and academics
Iceland's labour market research institute Varða was set up in February 2020 by The Icelandic Confederation of Labour ASÍ and the Confederation of State and Municipal Employees BSRB. The purpose was to strengthen social and economic labour market research and bridge the gap between academics and the labour market.
Sweden: most casual jobs and lowest work protection
Sweden has the highest unemployment levels among the Nordics, and also more casual jobs and lower employment protection levels for those on temporary contracts. An award-winning dissertation shows the consequences deregulation has had for people without permanent employment.
How much independence for Greenland, Åland and Faroes in the future?
Will the Nordic region in the future merge into one single federal state, or will there be eight, instead of five separate nation states?
Will Greenland get the mining adventure off the ground?
Greenland is about to introduce a range of reforms aimed at creating a well-functioning labour market and a stable framework for foreign investments in industries like mining.
Collective agreement extensions – the second best alternative?
Why is there so much resistance in the Nordics against the EU Commission directive on minimum wages? The answer is that the countries believe they have a nearly perfect system of collective agreements, so why change something that works? In many European countries where the social partners are weaker, extensions of collective agreements form an important part of the wage model.
"Important to continue the extension of collective agreements"
Many workers enjoy improved conditions thanks to the extension of collective agreements. One leader of a trade union organising fisheries workers believes the solution must continue even though it is not a magic solution.
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