tema
|
Feb 2016
Sustainability must be based on democracy and has a hefty price tag
Feb 08, 2016 Nordic countries are leading the way in sustainable development and welfare, built on solid democratic foundations. That was one of the central themes when Finland organised its first conference after taking on the 2016 Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
tema
|
Feb 2016
Iceland's Welfare Watch cushioned the crisis and led to stronger Nordic cooperation
Feb 08, 2016 The Finnish programme for Nordic cooperation aims to secure welfare by extending cooperation between different government departments and organisations. But can it be done? Iceland’s Welfare Watch is one of the best examples of an innovative way to cooperate.
tema
|
Feb 2016
Art, culture and wellbeing
Feb 08, 2016 What if we turned the pyramide upside down and allowed the ministry of culture, rather than the ministry of finance, to be in charge of social development? What would happen if that ministry, which is usually bottom of the hierarchy, could prioritise measures to promote sustainable development? Would it make a difference?
Portrait
Finland’s Anne Berner: We must not loose the right to Nordic freedom of movement
Feb 08, 2016 It has been eight months since business woman Anne Berner became a minister in Finland’s new centre right Sipilä government. She plans to stay in politics for one term, which means she has no more than three years and four months to implement her plans. And she has her plans laid out.
News
The Swedish agreement model’s big test
Feb 08, 2016 In 2016 the Swedish wage setting model is being put to its biggest test for several decades. Agreements must be made for some three million employees, but the members of the Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) are split, and different demands from different unions and trades risk breaking a nearly 20 year old tradition where the industry has set the norm for wage increases.
News
Opening the labour market for vulnerable citizens
Feb 08, 2016 One hour’s work a week is better than nothing. That is the thinking behind the major drive in recent years to get vulnerable Danes into the labour market. New research shows businesses are ready to create small jobs for vulnerable groups.
News
Nordic countries fight unwanted consequences of EU benefit rules
Feb 08, 2016 The EU’s rules on social security benefits need modernisation and the cost must be shared more equally between member states. If not, liberal benefit systems like those found in Nordic countries might not be sustainable, argue Nordic governments as they join forces to push the issue in the EU.
Editorial
|
Nov 2015
Tighten up!
Nov 27, 2015 The limit has been reached. Controls are being increased and things are being tightened up. Even Sweden has thrown in the towel. Swedish asylum rules will be adapted to fit with the EU’s minimum level. What now? Will the Nordic welfare societies stand the test?
In focus
|
Nov 2015
Refugees - burden or resource?
Nov 27, 2015 Refugees’ chances of getting to the Nordic countries have been dramatically reduced. Before the tightening of rules, more than 170,000 people applied for asylum in a Nordic country. Even if nany of the new arrivals will be turned down, the region will still get a solid boost of labour. Can refugees be included in working life without lowering wages and risking the creation of a new economic underclass?
tema
|
Nov 2015
What happens when the refugee stream has been stemmed?
Nov 27, 2015 “It’s like on a plane when the oxygen masks have been activated. When you’re told to put on your own mask before helping people sitting next to you. If we are to help the world, we must look after our own country first,” says Jøran Kallmyr, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Justice.
tema
|
Nov 2015
Researcher: ”Lowering the minimum wage creates a new underclass”
Nov 27, 2015 There is agreement on one thing when it comes to refugees — the many newly arrived must be integrated into their new societies. They need accommodation, language skills and jobs. The Nordic cooperation could do with sharing experiences for how to achieve that.
tema
|
Nov 2015
Entrepreneurs with a clear message about refugees
Nov 27, 2015 Finland has been caught unprepared by a flow of refugees the size of which the country has not experienced since World War II and the evacuation of Finnish Karelia. Many private individuals have been willing to help look after the new arrivals by offering food, clothes and accommodation. And now entrepreneurs are starting to turn up at refugee centres.
Insight
Marginalised youths on the labour ministers’ agenda
Nov 27, 2015 “No youths should be left to their own devices for longer periods of time,” Danish Noemi Katznelson told Nordic labour ministers when she presented her latest research in Copenhagen recently. Marginalised youths and work were the themes for discussion between the ministers and the social partners, with a focus on preventative measures against unemployment.
Portrait
New President of LO-Denmark defends the Nordic model
Nov 27, 2015 The new first lady of the Danish trade union movement, Lizette Risgaard, is a staunch defender of Nordic cooperation and has already proven that she will fight to the bitter end in defence of the Nordic collective bargaining model.
News