Portrait
Guðbjartur Hannesson - Iceland's Minister for Welfare
Oct 03, 2010 Guðbjartur Hannesson is Iceland's new minister in charge of merging all welfare issues into one ministry. He must do this while the country's budget is cut to the bone in the wake of the 2008 crash which left the country's economy in ruins. The Ministry of Welfare must be up and running by the end of the year.
News
New jobs from bottlenecks
Sep 30, 2010 Sustainable development will be the main trend for working life next year, predicts Finnish future researcher Antti Kasvio at the Helsinki-based Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. He and colleague Timo Räikkönen have looked at how global changes influence the way we work.
News
"The Nordic region must capitalise on social capital"
Sep 29, 2010 The Nordic countries are unofficial world champions when it comes to social capital - a clear competitive advantage. But to keep that advantage business leaders must become better at exploring the potential of social capital, according to a new Danish book.
News
Working life: a non-issue in the Swedish election
Sep 28, 2010 Jobs and social security were important issues during September's parliamentary elections in Sweden. Yet there was no focus on how people view their working environments. "There was an exceptional lack of debates about working life," says Roger Mörtvik, public policy director at the Swedish Confederation for Professional Employees.
Portrait
Finland's Anni Sinnemäki: passionate about an individually tailored welfare system
Aug 31, 2010 Finland's Minister of Labour wants to make individuals visible. Young people should not be seen as a uniform group but as separate people with different needs. In Finland a lot of time has been spent analysing each person's situation, and as a result, she says, the state can offer more rational measures tailored to the individual's needs.
tema
Hard to export Nordic trust
Aug 31, 2010 The Nordic model is usually described as a social system with strong unions and employers' organisations, an active state and a generous welfare system. But one cultural trait makes the model hard to export. People in the Nordic region tend to invest a whole lot of trust in each other.
tema
Dictates from politicians trigger crisis of trust
Aug 31, 2010 More and more important decisions are being made by politicians away from the parties to the labour market. Now experts fear a crisis of trust which will undermine the basis of the Danish model, which is based on negotiated agreements between state, employers and employees.
tema
Sweden's Södertälje: a public-private solution to immigrant challenges
Aug 31, 2010 Södertälje in Sweden has more than 40 percent immigrants of foreign heritage. For some years the municipality received more refugees from war-ravaged Iraq than the USA and Canada combined, so it's had its share of challenges when it comes to jobs, accommodation and traditional solutions. The result: extensive co-operation between municipality and businesses, with input from trade unions.
tema
When Iceland's trust vanished, comedian Jón Gnarr became mayor
Aug 31, 2010 Reykjavik citizens demonstrated their level of distrust in traditional politics and politicians by voting in comedian Jón Gnarr as their new mayor in last spring's local elections. Mr Gnarr's party, The Best Party, entered a coalition with the social democratic party Alliansen (Samfylkingin).
tema
Swedish leadership traditions through Chinese eyes
Aug 31, 2010 Swedish leadership traditions are based on a great deal of trust in employees. Management presume people can work independently without the need for close supervision. But how do Swedish companies function abroad? How do you reconcile the Swedish Dala horse with the Chinese dragon?
tema
Trust in short supply in Finland
Aug 31, 2010 The welfare state is based on a system of trust where citizens take a lot of things more or less for granted. But there are fundamental changes going on. Researchers in Finland, for instance, say the country is rejecting the idea of integrating immigrants.
In focus
Theme: Opening up the Northern borders
Aug 10, 2010 People in the Nordic region are used to visa-free travel and a common labour market, while the relationship with Russia has been characterised by closed opportunities. But these are new times. People in the Northern border region want freedom to travel and work in each other's countries. A visa-free zone could be the beginning of the tearing down of those barriers.
News
