Andrew Scott and Rod Campbell are the co-editors of a new book on Australian policy called The Nordic Edge. Andrew is a Professor at Deakin University who writes and teaches about how Australia can be better and fairer by learning from the world’s most successful countries. He is also the convenor of the Australia Institute’s Nordic Policy Centre. Rod is Research Director at the Australia Institute with a background in economic modelling, resource economics and geography.
Today, Andrew Scott and Rod Campbell are on the blog to answer a few questions together about The Nordic Edge. Read on …
Andrew Scott
Please tell us about your book, The Nordic Edge!
AS: Australian governments are obsessed by what is happening in the USA and the UK, and seem to enjoy making the same mistakes as them! If we want to get out of the political and policy ruts we’re stuck in, we need to start looking for new examples of where these problems are being solved. Nordic countries have actually made real progress on equality, work/life balance, climate and energy. The book explains how Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland show achievable ways for Australia to become a wealthier, happier, more environmentally responsible and more equal country. The book injects optimism and new ideas into discussions about how to improve our economy and society.
Why do you think the idea persists that Australia can’t get past the debates on things like foreign policy and gender equality?
AS: Because we’re not looking in the right places! On foreign policy, Sweden is a great example of how small to mid-sized countries can have real, independent impact. In our book, former Foreign Minister Margot Wallström explains how Sweden used its time on the UN Security Council to push for ‘feminist foreign policy’. They insisted on women being represented in briefings, talks, peace processes, everything. And their impact has stuck.
On gender equality, many Australian men today, like Swedish men, do more caring for children and household chores than their fathers did; but we don’t give Australian dads the policy support that Sweden does, like extensive paid parental leave, including three months minimum paternity leave.
What is it about Nordic countries such as Sweden and Denmark that you think made them able to progress on key policy issues?
AS: Good political leadership emphasising a team – rather than just an individual – approach; and a rational political system and culture focused on cooperation rather than conflict, have played a big part. This includes a well-established, constructive relationship between governments, trade unions and employers. Leaders who seek to form alliances, and who use their intellect to explain the long-term benefits of social democratic policies, have steadily built up many of the Nordic nations’ policy achievements.
What are some of the long-term benefits of adopting the Nordic policy approach?
AS: Investment in the early years of children’s lives not only benefits the children and increases women’s workforce participation, it also helps prevent the astronomic additional costs of health and welfare problems, and incarcerations, from being incurred in the long term. Nordic policy approaches have achieved average child poverty rates less than half the rate that Australia tolerates.
Rod Campbell
What are some of the obstacles in the way of adopting such an approach?
AS: A complacent view among some Australians that we have already achieved enough e.g. “we’re not as violent as America”. When we just compare ourselves to other English-speaking countries we do OK, but with a broader view it’s clear we could be doing a lot better. There’s also a fatalistic and flawed view held by many Australian politicians that this country can never fundamentally change direction even though different policies have worked very well elsewhere.
Do you think the COVID-19 pandemic has made Australia more open or closed off to the Nordic approach?
AS: Definitely more open. In responding to COVID-19, Australia started to look like a Nordic country with more sunshine and less Volvos! Policies such as free childcare, a sufficient unemployment payment, and wage subsidies, improvised for a time of crisis, temporarily resembled the Nordic countries. These policies previously were not politically feasible, but that changed almost overnight. Indeed, one benefit of the pandemic is that it has made many governments adopt policies that they had previously been unwilling to support.
The Nordic Edge has lots of great writers and thinkers involved. How did the book come together in terms of gathering their contributions?
AS: We reached out far and wide to assemble an exciting assortment of authors, many of whom are already prominent in their fields, while others are emerging and bring lively new voices; practitioners like Sweden’s foreign minister, as well as expert Nordic and Australian researchers and academics. The extensive networks of the Australia Institute think tank have been crucial in gathering lively contributions from committed younger authors.
What do you hope readers will discover in The Nordic Edge?
AS: A wider and more ambitious set of ideas to make Australia better and evidence that these ideas can be implemented. For example, no country in the world with lower taxes than Australia is happier than Australia – but ten countries that have higher taxes than Australia are happier. Those happier countries include all the five Nordic countries. There’s lots of ideas on climate change action, electric cars, renewable energy jobs and divestment from fossil fuels; work/life balance; mining taxes; prison reform; media and more. It’s a smörgåsbord!
And finally, what’s up next for you?
AS: Rod has a new baby, so he will be getting back to what passes for parental leave in this country! Andrew’s two daughters are adults so he’ll have time now to work in detail now on ideas for efficient and economical provision of more public and community childcare in Australia.
Thanks!
—The Nordic Edge, edited by Andrew Scott and Rod Campbell (Melbourne University Press) is out now.
The Nordic Edge
Policy Possibilities for Australia
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. It is impossible to make any progress without major political upheaval.
Or so it seems in Australia. Yet Nordic countries have taken a 'ja, we can' approach to these and other issues such as independent foreign policy, prison reform, gender equality, retraining for workforce participation and media diversity...
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