Parliamentary Government in the Nordic Countries at a Crossroads

Despite their long tradition of stable parliamentary democracy, the Nordic countries have not gone unaffected by the profound changes taking place in Europe. In recent years, some scholars have claimed that executive-legislative relations are undergoing fundamental changes in the Nordic countries and elsewhere. More powers are suggested to be transferred to political executives at the expense of parliaments, while powers inside government cabinets are increasingly concentrated in the hands of prime ministers. This volume seeks to address these challenges to the Nordic parliamentary systems. Due to the alleged strong reliance on power-sharing in these countries between the executive and the legislature on the one hand, and between the prime minister and his/her cabinet ministers on the other, the Nordic countries should be particularly resistant to such trends. Yet, the authors find that parliamentary government in the Nordic countries appears to be undergoing significant changes. It seems therefore that the Nordic parliamentary systems are now at an important crossroads. The evidence presented in this volume, however, yields a rather mixed picture of where the development is going. Contributing authors: Hanna Bäck, Flemming Juul Christiansen, Hans Hegeland, Guy-Erik Isaksson, Magnus Isberg, Thomas Larue, Peder Nielsen, Rasmus Brun Pedersen, Thomas Persson, Bjørn Erik Rasch, Tapio Raunio, Hans Petter Saxi, Asbjørn Skjæveland, Kåre Vernby, Lina Westin, Matti Wiberg