The Nordic Model, while debated at home as a coherent model with five exceptions, is recognized worldwide as an ideal for socio-political agenda and their governance. In Israel too, in spite of receiving little attention in Israeli academic research, Israeli policymakers and the public repeatedly affirm the principles that are associated with the Nordic model, namely high public spending on social services and state-steered market economy. This shared socio-political agenda, as well as commonalities in terms of size and human capital features, induce comparative study between Israel and the Nordic countries. Moreover, both Israel and Nordic countries face similar global challenges – such as immigration, multiculturalism, and environmental crisis – and comparable challenges of global integration – such as Europeanization, financial interdependencies, and standardization – and thus call for the development of new knowledge about the Nordic model, its international context, and its relations with, and impact on, Israel’s economy, politics and culture.
The conference discussions shall address two main themes:
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The Israeli viewpoint of the Nordic Model and its impact far beyond the bounds of the Nordic countries
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Israeli-Nordic relations, in historic context and with future outlook
Conference convenors:
Prof. Gili S. Drori
Dr. Orna Keren-Carmel
