The Nordic welfare model, civil society and social work

Abstract

Over several years the United Nations (UN) has been ranking the Nordic populations amongst the happiest in the world. One of the factors that seem to contribute to the happiness is an underlying trust between people. Another factor is the income equality with a small gap between rich and poor. Equality is one of the characteristic aspects of the Nordic welfare state. Equal communities produce less social problems, such as lower crime rates, less substance abuse and less mental health problems. The chapter introduces the Nordic welfare state model, and some of the characteristics of the civil society. It briefly discusses how the welfare state and civil society influence social work education and practice.