Presents the history of how two countries on the northern edge of Europe built societies in the twentieth century that became objects of inspiration and envy around the world. This title tells how Norway and Sweden achieved a rare feat by realizing grand visions of societies that combine stability, prosperity, and social welfare.

"This book will be a treasure trove for scholars—and politicians!—who want to understand the workings of the 'Scandinavian model.' Social scientists will value it for the wealth of telling details and compelling counterexamples that can suggest new generalizations and undermine old ones. Historians will appreciate how narrative and analysis acquire depth and relief by the comparison between the intertwined developments of Norway and Sweden, one country now lagging behind and now leaping ahead of its neighbor along economic, political, and cultural dimensions. Politicians will want to understand whether the stable and affluent social democracies rest on unique historical and geographical constellations or offer a model that can be imitated. By virtue of its acute psychological insights and low-key but poignant irony, The Age of Social Democracy is also a marvelously wise book."—Jon Elster, Collège de France and Columbia University"It is very rare to find this kind of grand historical work today, a synthetic account of a major political movement that spans more than a hundred years and covers two countries. This is a very rich book, addressing numerous subjects, from social insurance, the welfare state project, and labor market policies to university reforms and religious questions. Sejersted demonstrates an almost phenomenal knowledge of the research that has been carried out on the subjects he discusses."—Bo Rothstein, University of Gothenburg"Sejersted does a masterful job of following and linking the threads of economic and intellectual developments. This is a major work."—Henry Milner, University of Umea, Sweden