The Nordic Constitutions: A Comparative and Contextual Study

This book presents the Nordic constitutional systems of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in a comparative context. The book has two main aims: first to fill a gap in the literature by providing an accessible English language account of the Nordic constitutions, and second by providing a comparative analysis of the constitutions, revealing their similarities and differences within their political, historical and cultural context. In this respect, the book challenges the assumption that the Nordic countries form a homogeneous constitutional system due to their cultural and historical affinities, a view not necessarily supported by a close comparative examination. A key issue is EU membership, where the Nordic countries have made different choices at different times, and the book will show how this has affected the individual countries and whether a divide between EU member states (Denmark, Finland and Sweden) and non-members (Iceland and Norway) has appeared as regards the development of the respective constitutional systems. The book represents a first of its kind in English, and will provide constitutional scholars with a valuable comparative resource on the Nordic region.