Approaches to spatial inequalities in a Nordic welfare state – the case of Norway

Abstract

In this article, the position of the core ideas of equity and equal opportunities within the Nordic model of education today is problematized, using Norway as the case of interest and spatial dividing lines as the main variable in question. I am specifically preoccupied with geographical education differences as part of the ‘unequal opportunity problem’ in Nordic education. Focusing on spatial inequalities in education, something that is rarely addressed by educational authorities, brings light to the assertion that aims that used to be the foundation for the Norwegian education system, are harder to see as guiding principles in education policy today. Through highlighting this, the aim is also to contribute to a discussion of how research related to education in rural areas is situated in the Norwegian context, viewing this in light of Norway as a representative of the Nordic model of education. In the article understanding the agential doings behind the paradox of the Nordic education equality ethos on the one side and the persisting and empirically documented spatial education inequalities on the other, represents the analytic intake.