How do we create a humanitarian brand in Scandinavia, and how do we use it? UiO:Nordic- researchers Antoine de Bengy Puyvallée and Kristian Bjørkdahl are editors of this new book.
UiO:Nordic- researcher Kristian Bjørkdahl are one of the editors of the new book Do-Gooders at the End of Aid: Scandinavian Humanitarianism in the Twenty-First Century.
Summary
This book explores how Scandinavian political culture is characterized by the idea of doing good on the world stage, and how this creates a "Scandinavian humanitarian brand" that is an asset that policymakers and others can capitalize on to legitimize policy interventions and ideas, or to advance commercial, diplomatic, and security interests.
The case studies presented are from all Scandinavian countries and shows how the brand is made, reinforced and used from foreign aid and humanitarian assistance; to military operations, peace-building, and mediation; to migration policy, global health, and international cooperation.
A key objective of the book is to explain why the Scandinavian humanitarian brand retains such apparent resilience in a time when Scandinavia's characteristic approach to world affairs seems challenged from many sides at once.
