El modelo escandinavo y su transposición en los países europeos

Abstract

After going through a lengthy period of political stability, economic development and social welfare, most of the Scandinavian countries entered a crisis at the end of the nineteen eighties. The amount of social expenditure led to an increase in taxation, the rigidity of the legislation and the tradition of negotiation by means of consensus hindered changes and the importance of the public sector and the power of the trade unions appeared to hamper any kind of evolution towards a more flexible society. Nevertheless, within a decade, they managed to reform their Welfare States and become a model for many countries, both in Europe and beyond its borders. With this experience in mind, this paper asks whether it is possible to transfer the Scandinavian model to the countries of continental Europe. Many analysts insist on the cultural differences, the specific nature of the social relations, the differences in size, the diversity of the economic structures and the different organizations of society. Without carrying out a systematic transposition, some aspects may be useful for reforming the Welfare State in the countries of continental Europe by prioritizing, among other things, an active employment policy, the conciliation of security and flexibility and the renewal of the system of social protection.