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Nordic Welfare – a DIY Guide
Professor Jon Kvist, Centre for Welfare State Research, University of Southern Denmark Wednesday 28th November 2012 Venue: Old College – Lecture Theatre 175 (far right corner of old quad opp Blackwells on South Bridge) Edinburgh University Time: 18:00 – 20:00 “From the land of Lego and fairytales we bring you the building blocks to create your own welfare systems. What is it about the Nordic welfare model that makes it stand apart and achieve both economic and social goals?” Prof Jon Kvist has not only posed the question – he will try to answer it at a time when Scotland is considering constitutional change which might bring a Scottish welfare system closer. Jon will give a run-down of the social investment policies in the Nord...Read More
Another meeting announced – Nordic Welfare – a DIY Guide
Professor Jon Kvist, Centre for Welfare State Research, University of Southern Denmark Wednesday 28th November 2012 Venue: Old College - Lecture Theatre 175 (far right corner of old quad opp Blackwells on South Bridge) Edinburgh University Time: 18:00 - 20:00
Is the evolution of social democracy in Norway relevant to Scotland?
This is the provocative title for an article written by Øivind Bratberg of the University of Oslo. It is an edited version of his presentation to Nordic Horizons in June. You can download and read the article in full here.
Scotland’s Missing Wood Cabins
Scotland’s Missing Wood Cabins The full session which was hosted by the Festival of Politics in the Scottish Parliament is available below as an audio podcast. Introduced by the Chair of the Scottish Finnish Society , Mikko Ramstedt, there were good presentations followed by a lively question and answer session. It lasts 96 minutes.Norway has the hytta. Sweden has the sommerhus. Finland has the stuga. Russia has the dacha. New Zealand has the bach. Canada and the United States have cabins. Scotland alone in Northern Latitudes seems to have virtually no hut, cabin or modest second home tradition. Why and does it matter? Journalist and Nordic Horizons Director Lesley Riddoch compared the “hut traditions” of Norway and Scotland. Land campaigner Andy Wightman described hut bu...Read More
Nordic at the Edinburgh Festivals
Here is some information about distinctly ‘Nordic’ performers appearing here in Edinburgh over the festival period. Leif Ove Andsnes (Norwegian) Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes is returning to the Edinburgh International Festival on 16 August only with music by two of the composers most dear to him. Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes is one of the most gifted musicians of his generation, his immaculate performances establishing a rapturous atmosphere with their clear-headed, penetrating interpretations. Thursday 16 August, 11am The Queen’s Hall Tickets: £8 – £29 p> Kåre Conradi Peer Gynt (Norwegian) Conradi brings his one man adaptation of Ibsen’s classic tale to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2012. Kåre stars in a one man exploration of ‘Peer Gynt’, a...Read More
The Rest & Be Thankful – Nordic Solution
The Rest & Be Thankful road is closed for the 5th time in 5 yrs. I reckon about 40k people in Argyll and Bute are facing a detour of 100 mile plus. In peak tourist season vital business may just go elsewhere – and it isn’t even winter yet!! But in this morning's Radio Scotland interview the local councillor didn’t even utter the T-word — tunnel. Maybe that’s because government ministers have made it clear that option is too expensive. Even though in Norway it's the automatic thought for communities a fraction of the size cut off annually in Scotland. I wonder how long people in Lochcarron near Kyle will have to ship their kids by boat across the loch to school before the rail and road link is permanently fixed there. Their website suggests the “ad hoc” arrangements have a...Read More
Small is beautiful
Small is Beautiful – Digital Notes Nordic local government works in much smaller units than Scotland or England. Their municipalities gather taxes and run education, health and housing. The average Norwegian municipality has a population of 12,500, the average Scottish council 162,500. Scotland has the largest “local” councils in Europe and politicians want functions merged further to save money. How do small Nordic councils avoid post code lotteries? Do Nordic voters feel there’s expensive duplication? Do small burgh-sized councils transform communities? And how have recently merged municipalities fared? Nordic Speakers included – Bertil Klintbom, Gotland Municipality, Sweden and Professor Roger Buch, Aarhus University, Denmark. Contact Us
The Writing of the new Icelandic Constitution
The Writing of the new Icelandic Constitution This was a great meeting on March 29th 2012 in Parliament with Professor Thorvaldur Gylfason who won the highest number of votes in elections for the Commission to write Iceland’s “crowd sourced” constitution. The ICC had no elected politicians – now the Icelandic Parliament are chewing over the radical changes a referendum to approve the constitution will take place on the same day in June as Presidential elections ( boosting turnout) or later in the autumn. Thor said many memorable things during the event – not least that he thinks anyone wanting an independent Scotland should consider handing the task of creating a new Constitution for Scotland to the people and should start the process now. Presentation You can liste...Read More
McKommunes – People-sized local government?
McKommunes – People-sized local government? – Digital Notes The success of the Nordic nations seems tied to their systems of small and powerful municipal government. Join our round-table discussion on whether ‘McKommunes’ might help to create a similarly successful society here and reverse the trend towards merger and centralisation. With guest speakers Rob Gibson MSP (SNP, Caithness, Sutherland & Ross), Sarah Boyack MSP (Scottish Labour, Lothian; Local Government Spokesperson), Eberhard ‘Paddy’ Bort, Academic Coordinator of the Institute of Governance at Edinburgh University and Professor Mike Danson, Reader in Economics and Management at the University of the West of Scotland. . Professor Mike Danson, Reader in Economics and Management at the University of the...Read More
The Revolution will be Nordic
The Revolution will be Nordic – Event Details As Scotland tries to find its way in a global economy that is in crisis we ask whether the Nordic Model offers a way forward to a more stable and just society. Join our round-table discussion on the strengths of the Nordic approach to social and economic policy, its weaknesses, and what it has to offer to Scotland (and the UK). With special guest Mary Hilson, author of ‘The Nordic Model: Scandinavia since 1945’. Chaired by Lesley Riddoch, writer and broadcaster.As Scotland tries to find its way in a global economy that is in crisis we ask whether the Nordic Model offers a way forward to a more stable and just society. Our special guest Mary Hilson, author of ‘The Nordic Model: Scandinavia since 1945’ was up for tha...Read More
2012 – How the Finns emptied their prisons
Tapio Lappi-Seppälä, Director, National Research Institute of Legal Policy, Finland. MAY 2012 The open prison on the island of Suomenlimma near Helsinki is an astonishing place. The 100 prisoners living there learn stonemasonry and other skills to help keep the 19th century stone fortress intact. They’re paid a wage and the tiny municipality of 400 people voted to have them there. Some of the astonishing facts that confronted members of the Scottish Prisons Commission on a visit in 2008 – after which the Finnish Penal system formed the basis of the Community Payback system recommended by Commission Chair Henry McLeish and adopted by the Scottish Government. Finland had one of the highest prison populations in western Europe until the 1970s. Since then, the imprisonment rate ha...Read More
2012 – How does Finnish education stay streets ahead?
This event in May 2012 was hosted by the Convenor of the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee, Stewart Maxwell MSP and sponsored by the Finnish Embassy with Nordic Horizons ‘The story of Finland’s extraordinary educational reforms is one that should inform policymakers and educators around the world. This book is a must read.’ Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University. The book in question is Pasi Sahlberg’s Finnish Lessons which helps explains why Finland’s education system regularly tops world league tables for results, happiness of children, levels of literacy and esteem of teachers. The Finnish education system is so often cited as a blueprint that one Scottish union leader said he was fed up hearing about it! Most educationists, policy-makers and pa...Read More