In 2017, the Nordic Council of Ministers for Health and Social Affairs (MR-S) decided to carry out a strategic review of the Nordic co-operation in the social sector. The aim was to develop and strengthen the Nordic cooperation in the social field to ensure that it was adapted to the needs of the Nordic countries and current issues, and produced concrete results. The review was to result in a report with proposals that MR-S and the Committee of Senior Officials for Social and Health Policy (EK-S) could apply to develop both the existing co-operation and new initiatives, in a 5-10-year perspective. The review has been carried out by Árni Páll Árnason, former Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security and Minister of Economic Affairs in Iceland, who has drawn up an independent report with 14 proposals to strengthen Nordic co-operation in social policy, following consultations with actors in the social field both inside and outside the Nordic Region.This report is part of a series of strategic and forward-looking studies carried out by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The report is a part of the Nordic Council of Minister’s reform project, and strategic reviews have previously been conducted on health, labour market, legislative affairs, energy, and environmental policy co-operation.

Career and Career Guidance in the Nordic Countries explores what kind of context the Nordic region offers for the pursuit of career, how the development of careers are supported and how career guidance is enacted in this context.

This book looks at disability as an evolving social phenomenon. Disability is created through the interaction between persons with impairments and their environment. Exploring these experiences of persons with disabilities and discussing universality and particularity in our understanding of assumed development and normalcy, it takes Finland, which has been chosen repeatedly as the happiest country in the world as its case- study. Using disability as a critical lens helps to demystify Finland that has the positive reputation of a Welfare State. By identifying different kinds of discrimination against persons with disabilities as well as successful examples of disability inclusion, it shows that when looking Finland from the perspective of persons with disabilities, inequality and poverty have been collective experiences of too many of them. It will be of interest to all scholars and students of disability studies, sociology, social policy, social work, political science, health and well-being studies and Nordic studies more broadly.

Inclusion for immigrant students with special educational needs (SEN) is a neglected area of research. This edited volume addresses this problem, providing up-to-date insights into the provided support and special needs education (SNE) for immigrant students in different contexts of the Nordic countries. This important book explores the diversity of student experiences, addressing both compulsory schools and vocational education, and examines how different Nordic countries conceptualise and approach support and SNE for immigrant students. Readers will get an opportunity to read various studies that address gaps in the realisation of inclusion and special need education. This book initiates a dialogue on generating new knowledge, approaches, and methods to expand the flexibility necessary to implement a fully inclusive education. The book offers research that includes strong theoretical and practical frameworks, interviews, interventions, assessments, case studies as well as offers future directions for inclusive and special needs education. By exploring the process of inclusion and special needs education in the Nordic countries, this book is an essential read for those who intend to deepen their understanding and to enact inclusion, and the development of special needs education for immigrant students.

In this important contribution to urban studies, Juliet Davis makes the case for a more ethical and humane approach to city development and management. With a range of illustrative case studies, the book challenges the conventional and neoliberal thinking of urban planners and academics, and explores new ways to correct problems of inequality and exclusion. It shows how a philosophy of caring can improve both city environments and communities. This is an original and powerful theory of urban care that can promote the wellbeing of our cities’ many inhabitants.