The Norwegian model of industrial relations has received a lot of praise. It is generally thought of
as the pinnacle of the welfare state, a reason why Norway is not severely hit by crises, is highly
adaptable, and thus still going strong. This article discusses the historical circumstances in which
the model arose with a view to analyze the preconditions for its further existence, arguing that the
model must be understood as consisting of, and thus dependent upon, shifting historical subjects.
This calls for an analysis of the concrete interactions between various agents, and how it has
changed over time and space. In this effort, historical accounts are combined with theories developed
within the social sciences in order to explain the dynamics of these interactions. We will argue
that the contemporary notion of a Norwegian model of industrial relations, and the accompanying
praise, is an ahistorical conceptualization verging on a dogma, and that profound reconfigurations
of power relations between the agents of labor and capital need to be taken into account.
Author Biographies
Ann Cecilie Bergene, Arbeidsforskningsinstituttet/Work Research Institute, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo,
PhD
Per Bonde Hansen, Arbeidsforskningsinstituttet/Work Research Institute, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo,
