A Nordic transition regime? Policies for school-to-work transitions in Sweden, Denmark and Finland

Abstract

<p>In recent decades, a range of policy measures to support young people’s school-to-work<br />transitions has been initiated across Europe. However, these transition policies have rarely been<br />studied systematically, particularly from a comparative perspective. Thus, the aim of this article is<br />to compare Swedish, Danish and Finnish policies for supporting young people’s educational and<br />school-to-work transitions. Synthesising and analysing recent research, the article critically draws<br />on Walther’s (2006) classification of transition regimes that recognises a Nordic universalistic<br />regime of youth transitions characterised by emphasis on collective social responsibility, individual<br />motivation and personal development. We conclude that significant policy changes have occurred<br />during the last two decades. Coercive measures have been adopted and social support reduced,<br />making young people more individually responsible for the success of their transitions. Hence,<br />current transition policies diverge in many respects from qualities traditionally ascribed to the<br />Nordic transition regime. We also find significant differences between the three countries’<br />transition policies, which in some cases indicate policy trade-offs. In addition, we conclude that<br />transition policies are generally weakly coordinated across policy domains, which increases the risk of unintended consequences of these policies. <br /></p>