The Nordic Model: What Is It and Can’t We Just Copy It?

ANDREAS UDBYE, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Puget Sound

The Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) consistently receive the highest scores on global ratings such as the Human Development Index, World Happiness Report, and Democracy Index. In contrast, the U.S. keeps sliding, which triggers questions of whether we should adopt and emulate more of the Nordic policies to stem the decline.