The sustainability of the Nordic welfare model – high employment and little social exclusion

High employment and little social exclusion are both means and ends in the Nordic welfare model. In this contribution to the large NordMod 2030 project Lisbeth Pedersen and I examine how the sustainability of the Nordic welfare model depends on high employment and low social exclusion. We find that 1) employment is high in the Nordic countries compared to EU28 for most socio-economic groups, but not all, 2) the understanding of social exclusion varies over time and place, 3) the number of persons living on social security is high, 4) discuss the factors and mechanisms policy-makers can influence, 5) summarise the track record of Nordic policies and end by way of conclusion 6) discuss how in particular child family, health and educational policies investing in human potential and resources that may over time give returns in other dimensions, including the labour market, which is crucial for the economic, social and political sustainability of the Nordic welfare model. For more read the chapter Den nordiske velfaerdsmodels baerekraft, the full report Floetten et al eds 2014 Velferdsstatsutfordringer. Ulikhet, arbeidsintegrering, tjenesteproduksjon og likestilling, or check out other NordMod 2030 publications. #nordmod, #nordicwelfare