Introduce the meeting Franco Ianeselli.
Is the Nordic social model truly incomparable to other European models? Does it only work because the Nordics enjoy paying high taxes? A deeper analysis reveals that it is a type of social model whose key terms—ranging from the role of unions to welfare spending—are more interconnected and constructed with coherence. Therefore, we need to understand the differences and continuities among various European societies, without hypothesizing anthropological causes that end up being tautological (“Italian society is this way because Italians are this way”). It is not innate mentalities that shape social models, but rather the opposite. The Nordic models, for example, help us understand that the European social model works better when it is coherent and decides to compete economically by rejecting the exploitation of people. However, the recent disruptions demonstrate that if social models deteriorate in their fundamental bases, such as underfunded active labor policies, integration and social peace become fragile everywhere.
