SAMFUNNSVITENSKAPELIG EMBEDSEKSAMEN VÅR 2011
Statsvitenskap, STV1510 – Nordic Politics
Wednesday June 1, 4 hours
You are to answer both exercise 1 and exercise 2. Each exercise will be weighted equally (50% each) for the final evaluation.
Exercise 1: here you are to answer either essay A or essay B
A:
What is meant by parliamentarism? What is meant by minority governments?
Minority governments have frequently been found in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Outline various aspects of the minority governments in these countries, illustrate with examples from the three countries and explain why such governments have been so frequent in these countries.
B:
Describe the principal features of the ideal-type Nordic welfare model. Then discuss how party politics and corporatism may explain the advance of the Nordic welfare states. And finally, discuss briefly how the model has come under pressure during the last decades.
Exercise 2: Here you are to answer three of the following four questions (a-d). The answers will be weighted equally for the final evaluation, and together they will count for 50% of the final evaluation.
a) Outline the party systems in Finland and Iceland and possible changes in these party systems the last 20-30 years. Are there any significant exceptions in these countries from the Scandinavian five party model in the given period?
b) Outline briefly some main similarities and differences in public reforms in Scandinavia the last decades.
c) Outline briefly the status of reforms in local and regional government in the four Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
d) Neutrality and the Nordic states: Explain why some are neutral and how neutrality as a defence policy has changed in recent times.