The Nordic Welfare State in Three Eras

’Johannes Kananen's book tells us that all is not well with the Nordic welfare states. The historically unique impetus towards emancipatory social development for which they are rightly so famous has been reversed. Kananen's perceptive analysis illuminates the global and internal constraints that have been leading to this, but also hints at the possibilities for a re-reversal.’ Hartley Dean, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK ’The Nordic welfare states represent a social democratic welfare model with roots in the industrial society of wage work. The dramatically changing national economies and labour markets since the 1990s, under labels like Europeanisation and globalization, meant a serious challenge to the model. This excellent book analyses this challenge and the destiny of the model in a long historical perspective since World War I.’ Bo StrÃ¥th, University of Helsinki, Finland 'Kananen’s study is an interesting contribution to the Nordic welfare state literature, particularly as regards the recent reforms taking place in the region, while it brings back social theory to the study of welfare states, an aspect much neglected by the current middle-range institutional theories.' Journal of Contemporary European Studies