Trust : A Note on the Sustainability of the Nordic Model

Critics assume the existence of free riding, motivation crisis, and controlled individual needs the “nanny state”. Despite such critique, the demand for social protection is growing, and the state, in Nordic countries, has the reputation of sustained economic growth in combination with generous welfare programs. This is attributed to their policies of economic growth, redistribution, and full employment. The focus of this paper is Norway. While the positive impacts of the growth with equity are recognized, the findings of our study take us beyond. In Norway, a high level of generalized trust expressed both in individual behaviour and in individual-society relations, creates a collective conscience (samvittighet). Such a conscience promotes cooperation in achieving common goals. This feeling of togetherness provides Norwegians with the feeling of solidarity (felleskap), defines the individual perception of rights and obligations to the state, and explains why Norway has a good record in workforce participation. The state guarantees that a loss of job not followed by loss of income. Norwegians believe individual well-being depends on others welfare, and they tend to rely on the state's role in creating and maintaining universal welfare programs with high levels of taxation. The social system relies on a sense of trust