Arne Flåøyen, Director of NordForsk, believes the report sheds new and insightful light on the importance of Nordic co-operation.
“I consider this to be an important publication because creating Nordic added value is a core task and main goal of Nordic co-operation. I strongly encourage everyone involved in Nordic co-operation to read and discuss the report thoroughly.”
Tailor definitions to the institutions
The report Nordic added value in inter-ministerial Nordic co-operation highlights that Nordic co-operation can be made more effective by tailoring definitions of ‘Nordic added value’ to the individual institutions. This will ensure a more precise and flexible use of the concept that can be adapted to the specific needs of the different sectors. This will avoid a one-size-fits-all approach hindering progress in the different areas of co-operation.
The report also emphasises the importance of valuing the long-term efforts needed to strengthen the Nordic identity and clarify the relationship between ‘Nordic added value’ and the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Vision 2030.
Ambiguous concept
The concept of Nordic added value and its Scandinavian versions ”nordisk merværdi” and ”nordisk nytte”, has increasingly come to serve as a guiding principle of inter-ministerial Nordic co-operation and its related institutions since the mid-2000s. Institutions, projects, and actors involved in Nordic co-operation have increasingly been tasked with accounting for the Nordic added value in their work.
Despite its frequent usage, stakeholders in Nordic co-operation have an enduring sense that the exact meaning of the concept of “Nordic added value” is unclear. There is also uncertainty about how the concept can be operationalised in practice.
The report is a qualitative study that unfolds aims to unpack the various dimensions that the concept has obtained or been accorded across the different sectors and institutions of inter-ministerial Nordic co-operation. The aim is to help clarify the different interpretations of the concept in an effort to guide the various sectors of Nordic co-operation, both today and tomorrow, towards common goals while recognising their different logics and contributions.
Read the report
English version:
Nordic Added Value in Inter-ministerial Nordic Co-operation
Danish version:
Nordic added value i tværministerielt nordisk samarbejde
About the project
The report is written and edited by researchers affiliated with the Nordic university network Reimagining Norden in an Evolving World (ReNEW), funded by NordForsk. In addition to editor Frederik Forrai Ørskov, it has contributions from Tuire Liimatainen, Essi Turva, Emilia Berg and Hasan Akintug.
The project has been funded through NordForsk by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project is funded through NordForsk by the Nordic Council of Ministers. It is a follow-up to last year's report Nordic added value in Nordic research co-operation, which specifically addressed the use and understanding of the concept in the research field.
