Nordic Associations in a European Perspective

Associations provide the most appropriate perspective to the Nordic conception of democracy. The contributions in this book analyze Nordic associations, both in a comparative and historically informed perspective. An extensive introduction relates the historical development of the Nordic countries b [...]
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Associations provide the most appropriate perspective to the Nordic conception of democracy. The contributions in this book analyze Nordic associations, both in a comparative and historically informed perspective. An extensive introduction relates the historical development of the Nordic countries both to Western Europe and to each other. Then, in the succeeding chapters, the book focuses on Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden and how they relate to each other or to other European countries. Reflections are made on the relevance of the long historical time span. An eloquent indication of the Nordic particularity is the importance of passive membership. It tells of the representation as the key quality of Nordic associations: it has been more important to belong, or to "be part of," than to take part. But passive membership also poses the question of the viability of the Nordic association-based practices. Does the present "crisis of representation" signal the demise of the Nordic model, or can it serve as a springboard for new forms of vigilance?