Sport, outdoor life and the Nordic world: an introduction

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Notes

1. Reflecting the power of Nordic civic values, one study found that the Norwegian middle classes prioritized two normative ideal types: ‘the good Samaritan’ and ‘the socially responsible citizen’ (Sakslind and Skarpenes 2014).

2. See http://www.norden.org/no/aktuelt/artikler/201con-top-of-the-world201d.

3. We say ‘discourse’ here, as the evidence indicates that, for local sports clubs, their share of income from government support is no higher in Norway than in Germany, England or Canada (Augestad, Bergsgard, and Hansen 2006; Bergsgard et al. 2007). It is also hard to find good comparable international data on government support for elite-level sport (Andersen and Rongland 2012; Bergsgard 2011).

4. Additionally, differences arise across Nordic countries over health interventions: for example, in treating health disorders, Finland puts relatively less emphasis than Norway on mental health and substance abuse, and a greater preponderance of work into somatic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes.

5. For example, a report published by the Institute of Economic Affairs and entitled Scandinavian Unexceptionalism: Culture, Markets and the Failure of Third-Way Socialism, critiqued the ‘Scandinavian model’ by claiming that the region’s economic growth, wealth generation, reductions in inequality and strong health data were largely established before social democratic policies came into effect (Sanandaji 2015; see also 2016). One example that is provided to show the apparent failure of the Scandinavian model relates to how some Swedish men go absent from work when sporting events taking place.