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Nordic Capitalism shows how democratic capitalism supports freedom, shared prosperity, and sustainability through a comparative analysis of Nordic and American capitalisms. Drawing on real-world examples and personal experience, Robert Gavin Strand distills ten core lessons from the Nordic context to advance a more just, dignified, and sustainable form of capitalism. He examines how Nordic nations consistently lead in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rankings and societal well-being indicators, and how Nordic companies frequently top sustainability and stakeholder performance rankings. Challenging the assertion that there is 'no alternative' to American-style capitalism rooted in neoliberalism, he dispels the mischaracterization of Nordic societies as 'socialist.' Blending rigorous scholarship with compelling storytelling, this book speaks to scholars, business leaders, policymakers, students, and concerned citizens. The Nordic variety of capitalism serves as a North Star - offering practical guidance and hope for realizing sustainable capitalism. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.
List of contents
Jordbær (Opening Reflection); Acknowledgments; Prologue; Part I. Establishing the Context: 1. Introduction to the Nordics: from poverty to shared prosperity; 2. Fundamentals of sustainability; 3. Principles of capitalism; 4. American and Nordic capitalisms: historical glimpses; Part II. Exploring Nordic Capitalism: 5. Individual-level: Nordic leadership is cooperative leadership; 6. Company-level: Nordic cooperative advantage; 7. Societal-level: is the American dream the Nordic reality?; 8. Critiques and limitations of Nordic capitalism; Part III. Looking Ahead: 9. Shifting the American paradigm: from me-me-me to me-we-me; 10. Nordics as a North Star for realizing sustainable capitalism; Appendix A. Remember the people behind the numbers; Appendix B. The manifesto of Nordic capitalism.
