Climate and energy. Work/life balance. Mining taxes. Progress on policy issues like these is essential, and yet they have become subject to the most rancorous partisanship, the precipitation of culture wars, and have brought down governments.

In The Nordic Edge, published by Melbourne University Press, a selection of Australia Institute researchers and guest authors show how Nordic nations have secured progress across a range of crucial public policy areas while simultaneously increasing prosperity and community wellbeing.

Nordic countries have taken a ‘ja, we can’ approach to independent foreign policy, prison reform, gender equality, retraining for workforce participation, media diversity, and the electric transport revolution. Australia could do the same.

Within the pages of this brand new publication you will find a suite of contributions from Australia Institute researchers, including a foreword by Executive Director Ben Oquist and analysis from The Australia Institute’s Convenor of the Nordic Policy Centre Professor Andrew Scott and Research Director Rod Campbell.

Australia Institute Deputy Director Ebony Bennett writes on media diversity and the importance of public broadcasting while Chief Economist Dr Richard Denniss and Senior Economist Matt Grudnoff discuss international comparisons of tax rates and economic performance.

Climate & Energy Program Director Richie Merzian and Energy Policy & Regulatory Lead Dan Cass consider ‘Scandiplomacy’ and our common climate future, while Climate & Energy Researcher Audrey Quicke discusses Norway’s world leading electric vehicle policies.

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The Nordic Edge explores policies adopted by Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland and the exciting possibilities they provide to overcome Australia’s seemingly intractable problems.

You can order your copy HERE