Democracy and citizenship in Scandinavia /

In the "civic culture" tradition, this volume grew out of the participation of Anderson (Aalborg) and Hoff (Copenhagen) in the Danish Citizenship Study. The endeavor coordinates Danish findings with those from similar studies in Norway and Sweden. Scandinavia is often considered the model for democratic politics. Welfare economics and political democracy combined seek to offer all citizens decent lives and political empowerment. This study investigates, in a comprehensive manner, the extent to which and ways in which Scandinavian citizens act and feel as if they are politically efficacious. The authors combine interesting analyses of shared trends (falling party membership, lower party attachments) with persuasive explanations of significant divergences (such as Norway's smaller but healthier trade unions) in these similar, yet distinct, polities. The authors see a "spectator democracy," marked by high political interest but low and more volatile commitment and participation, emerging in Scandinavia. Though the authors are careful to discuss the reliability of data, there may still be some questions to be answered in this respect. Nevertheless, this is a good and very useful book for anyone interested in the future of politics in small, social-democratic states and perhaps even for larger, less homogeneous states. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above. J. H. Eastby Hampden-Sydney College