THE NORDIC THEORY OF LOVE

This book describes how “The Nordic Theory of Love” and a commitment to equality has made the people of Finland, Sweden, and Norway so successful, and why countries around the world are looking to Scandinavia to show them how to make the necessary changes so the old stops fighting the new and develop a well-being state of their own.

As a Finnish journalist who lives in the U.S., Anu Partanen delves deeper into Finland’s economic, education, and social successes. With education reform on everyone’s mind, constant speculation on how to adjust to the new “information economy,” and the emerging desire to better balance work and life, Partanen’s book explains how their exam- ?? ple can lead other countries down a similar path. This book describes how “The Nordic Theory of Love” and a commitment to equality has made the people of Finland, Sweden, and Norway so successful, and why countries around the world are looking to Scandinavia to show them how to make the necessary changes so the old stops fighting the new and develop a well-being state of their own. When Partanen left her home of Finland to join her fiancée in New York City, it was more than just her family and friends she was leaving behind, and more than just true love awaiting her on the other side of the Atlantic. As she considered her decision, Finland’s social and economic policies almost made her stay-- was any man worth surrendering five weeks of paid summer vacations, the best school and university system in the world, a year of paid maternity leave, and a robust economy? In the end, Anu decided the who was more important than the where, and she set out for New York City, an engagement ring on her finger. What she encountered troubled her: a decrease in what her tax dollars got her, increased anxiety about “having it all,” obstacles surrounding starting a family, and an attitude towards Scandinavia that troubled her. Anu Partenan is a Finnish journalist based in New York City. She has written for The New York Times and The Atlantic, and was a visiting staff writer at the flagship magazine of Helsingin Sanomat, the largest daily subscription newspaper in Scandinavia. Anu has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences and studied for a year in both France and Australia. She currently writes a regular column for a Finnish monthly general- interest magazine called Image.