Nordic Capitalism
Lessons for Realizing Sustainable Capitalism
Will be published approx. on 30. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
360 pages
978-1-009-64655-0 (ISBN)
Description
Nordic Capitalism shows how democratic capitalism supports freedom, shared prosperity, and sustainability through a comparative analysis of Nordic and American capitalisms. Drawing on real-world examples and personal experience, Robert Gavin Strand distills ten core lessons from the Nordic context to advance a more just, dignified, and sustainable form of capitalism. He examines how Nordic nations consistently lead in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rankings and societal well-being indicators, and how Nordic companies frequently top sustainability and stakeholder performance rankings. Challenging the assertion that there is 'no alternative' to American-style capitalism rooted in neoliberalism, he dispels the mischaracterization of Nordic societies as 'socialist.' Blending rigorous scholarship with compelling storytelling, this book speaks to scholars, business leaders, policymakers, students, and concerned citizens. The Nordic variety of capitalism serves as a North Star - offering practical guidance and hope for realizing sustainable capitalism. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.
Reviews / Votes
'Chances are that the person picking up this book knows of only one variant of capitalism - shareholder capitalism which is practiced in the United States and most western countries. But in this book, Robert Gavin Strand shows us that there are other ways to structure our economy and presents Nordic capitalism as a model for what is possible to serve all of society and not just favor the small percentage of wealthy.' Andrew J. Hoffman, Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and Author of 'Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market' (2025)More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
605 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-64655-0 (9781009646550)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2026
Cambridge University Press
€130.40
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Robert Gavin Strand is the founding Executive Director of the Nordic Center at University of California, ¿Berkeley; Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business; and Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School. A leading global expert on sustainable business, he is a preeminent voice advancing democratic capitalism as the foundation for realizing sustainable capitalism.
Content
Jordbaer (Opening Reflection); Acknowledgments; Prologue; Part I. Establishing the Context: 1. Introduction to the Nordics: from poverty to shared prosperity; 2. Fundamentals of sustainability; 3. Principles of capitalism; 4. American and Nordic capitalisms: historical glimpses; Part II. Exploring Nordic Capitalism: 5. Individual-level: Nordic leadership is cooperative leadership; 6. Company-level: Nordic cooperative advantage; 7. Societal-level: is the American dream the Nordic reality?; 8. Critiques and limitations of Nordic capitalism; Part III. Looking Ahead: 9. Shifting the American paradigm: from me-me-me to me-we-me; 10. Nordics as a North Star for realizing sustainable capitalism; Appendix A. Remember the people behind the numbers; Appendix B. The manifesto of Nordic capitalism.