Nordic Civil Society at a Cross-Roads: Transforming the Popular Movement Tradition

Scandinavian societies have been noted for their combination of political stability and extensive social progress. During the 20th century, influential popular movements constituted a crucial factor in this equation. The benevolent welfare states of the North have been backed by active civil societi [...]
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Scandinavian societies have been noted for their combination of political stability and extensive social progress. During the 20th century, influential popular movements constituted a crucial factor in this equation. The benevolent welfare states of the North have been backed by active civil societies of which membership organizations, working in close proximity with the welfare state administrations, constituted the hallmark. With this civil society model as an important backdrop, the contributions in this book track and analyze a number of changes identified both at the very center and at the margins of Scandinavian civil societies and their membership organizations which are traditionally embedded in a so-called popular movement marinade. Professionalization, transnationalization, and marketization are major trends that increasingly put the traditional Scandinavian civil society approach of doing things into question. The essays focus on drivers, processes, and outcomes of change affecting the traditionally membership-based civil societies in Scandinavia. (Series: European Civil Society)