Background and aim
The concept of Nordic added value has increasingly come to serve as a guiding principle of inter-ministerial Nordic co-operation and its related institutions. However, there is an enduring sense among stakeholders in Nordic co-operation that the exact meaning of the concept of “Nordic added value” is unclear, along with uncertainty around how the concept can be operationalised in practice. Interpretations of the concept and its significance vary from sector to sector of Nordic co-operation as well as from person to person, making Nordic added value a fluid and multi-dimensional concept.
This report therefore seeks to provide a more holistic understanding of Nordic added value and clarify the concept’s differing interpretations in order to fertilise a comparative discussion of its operationalisation in different Nordic institutions. The aim is to help guide the various sectors of Nordic co-operation, both today and tomorrow, towards common goals, and to do so in a way that does not lose sight of the fact that these sectors differ in terms of the potential value they can add to Nordic co-operation and that they operate according to different logics.
To this end, the report first offers a historical outline of Nordic added value’s rise to prominence among the concepts used to legitimise Nordic co-operation, before going on to look in more detail at the historical and contemporary uses and meanings of Nordic added value in the specific sectors and institutions of official inter-ministerial Nordic co-operation.
Methods and materials
The report takes a qualitative and comparative approach to the interpretations and operationalisations of Nordic added value in a broad – albeit not exhaustive – array of the institutions of Nordic inter-ministerial co-operation, and to how they relate to the legitimacy of joint Nordic efforts as perceived in the individual institutions and on a broader, more strategic level. This includes the strategic objectives of Nordic co-operation which are currently outlined in the Vision 2030 agenda for Nordic co-operation, adopted by the Nordic prime ministers in 2019.
The report builds on a review of relevant aspects of the research literature available on Nordic co-operation and Nordic added value, as well as on a qualitative analysis of institutional documents and interviews with central stakeholders who hold or have held relevant positions in the institutions of Nordic co-operation. The report’s analysis is inspired by methods from the field of research known as conceptual history – although methodological reflections are kept to a minimum.
The institutional documents analysed for the report have been selected by the research group based on an informed understanding of their relevance in outlining the visions, practices, and results of the different branches of official inter-ministerial Nordic co-operation.
Main findings
Nordic added value operates across and obtains divergent meanings from different key domains of Nordic co-operation, typologised in this report as “culture and identity”, “society and welfare”, “economy and innovation”, and “sustainability and climate”. Left unacknowledged, the co-existence of these domains of Nordic added value might give rise to tensions in the definition and operationalisation of the concept.
There are significant inter-sectoral and inter-institutional differences in interpretations of Nordic added value, reflecting different institutional histories and sector-specific outlooks. This has resulted in two different – if often co-existing – understandings of Nordic added value as both an internal driving force for individual institutions and their employees, and as an external steering principle tying individual efforts to joint priorities.
The instability in terminology that characterises the use of Scandinavian and English-language terms to legitimise joint Nordic efforts adds to the enigmatic character and ambiguous interpretations of the principle of Nordic added value.
The evaluation of Nordic added value remains a complex issue and subject to interpretation, reflecting the evolving nature of regional collaboration and the diverse priorities of the sectors involved.
The Nordic prime ministers’ Vision 2030 declaration has impacted the aims of Nordic co-operation, facilitating a shift towards an understanding of Nordic added value as a tool rather than a vision for Nordic co-operation.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1: Create institution-specific working definitions of Nordic added value:
Outlining working definitions of what constitutes Nordic added value within each individual Nordic institution and for project funding – while allowing for flexibility and adaptation – would make it possible to acknowledge that different dimensions of the multi-dimensional concept of Nordic added value are relevant to pursue and operationalise within institutions that operate across different sectors.
Recommendation 2: Attach value to the preconditions for impactful Nordic co-operation:
The operationalisation of Nordic added value risks rewarding measurable short-term outcomes at the expense of the difficult-to-measure long-term efforts, which have been essential in the creation of the Nordic regional identity that facilitates present-day co-operation on, for example, aspects such as branding, innovation, climate, defence, and security. By attaching value to the less immediately tangible results of joint efforts, the strengthening of a Nordic regional identity can regain a central place in the efforts of the Nordic institutions in the face of geopolitical instability, and the preconditions for successful Nordic co-operation can be sustained.
Recommendation 3: Clarify the relationship between Nordic added value and Vision 2030:
Articulating how and if Nordic added value relates to the strategic objectives of Vision 2030 – most notably whether Nordic added value is the most suitable steering principle for pursuing those objectives – would help align the visions for and practices of Nordic co-operation.
Recommendation 4: Further examine tensions regarding the legitimacy of Nordic co-operation:
Further efforts to examine how the legitimacy of Nordic co-operation is viewed in the parts of Nordic co-operation not under the institutional umbrella of the Nordic Council of Ministers would likely reveal quite different interpretations. Given the significance of Nordic inter-parliamentary co-operation and Nordic civil society organisations for Nordic co-operation as a whole, constructive dialogue with such actors on what constitutes the added value of joint Nordic efforts would be necessary for creating a more robust basis for ambitious, meaningful, and forward-looking Nordic co-operation in the future.
Recommendation 5: Broaden the perspectives on regional co-operation:
Approaching the legitimisation of joint regional efforts from broader and comparative perspectives might allow for more meaningful co-operation with non-Nordic partners, with the potential for learning from other models of regional co-operation.
Recommendation 6: Standardise translation practices:
Creating and implementing standardised translation practices across and within the institutions of official Nordic co-operation for terms like nordisk nytta, nordiskt mervärde, Nordic added value, Nordic synergies, Nordic benefits, etc. would help avoid conceptual confusion within and across the sectors and organisations of Nordic co-operation.