This book analyses the Nordic constitutional systems of Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in a comparative context. It 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 to provide a comparative analysis of them, revealing their
similarities and differences within their political, historical and
cultural contexts. 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. Another key issue is how the ECHR has impacted the Nordic
constitutional systems and whether the convention draws the Nordic
systems closer to each other. The book represents a first of its kind in
the English language, and will provide constitutional scholars with a
valuable comparative resource on the Nordic region.
