It has become common to talk about a Nordic model, which is an alternative to the liberal market economies of the USA and the UK and the social market economy of Germany. The merits of the Nordic model have elicited interest in what factors explain their success, but have also motivated discussion on the continued viability of the so-called Nordic model.

In this book, focus is upon one of the Nordic countries, Norway. The discussions in this book are based on the assumption that the actions of national elites are important for the continuation of the Norwegian ver- sion of the Nordic model. Elites are individuals and groups with power. How they use this power may be of consequence to the maintenance of the model. In order to capture Norwegian elites’ interest in uphold- ing the present configuration of society, I have examined their attitudes towards several central national issues.

The examination of the elites’ attitudes is based on data from two unique elite surveys. In 1998, a research group was commissioned by the Norwegian parliament to carry out a national Power and Democracy Project. As an important part of this project, the Institute for Social Research (ISF), in collaboration with Statistics Norway, organised a national elite survey, the Leadership Study 2000. In 2013, the Institute for Social Research carried out a new elite survey, the Leadership Study 2015. This time as well, the survey was conducted by Statistics Norway in collaboration with ISF.