Disparity in Norway

November 23 2012

The Norwegian Polytechnic Society and the Fritt Ord Foundation invite the public to three meetings at the House of Literature under the title ‘Disparity in Norway’. The meetings will be held on Tuesdays on 9, 23 and 30 October 2012, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Wergelandsveien 29 in Oslo.

Please register in advance at www.polyteknisk.no.

Programme:

Tuesday, 30 October 2012, 7 to 9 p.m.: The social model of the future

Is there a need to ‘civilise’ capitalism – or to get rid of it? Should Norway continue to be a country apart from all others? Are the Norwegian party patterns and partisan blocks prior to the parliamentary election in 2013 appropriate for facing the challenges of the future? What are the parties thinking?

Debate featuring Khamshajiny Gunaratnam, City Council representative for the Labour Party in Oslo, Andreas Christiansen Halse, leder i Sosialistisk Ungdom, Himanshu Gulati, chair of the Party of Progress Youth, Bjørnar Moxnes, chair of the Red Party, Nikolai Astrup, MP for the Conservative Party, and Anna B. Jenssen, editor of the newspaper Morgenbladet (moderator).

Tuesday, 9 October 2012, 7 to 9 p.m.: Are we heading towards greater social and financial disparity?

Is the Norwegian tradition of egalitarianism sustainable? Are the labour market and the skewed growth in affluence creating new proletariats and social disparities? Are the reports of greater financial disparities exaggerated?

Debate featuring Kristin Clemet, managing director of Civita, Jon Hippe, director of Fafo, and EconomistCamilla Bakken Øvald (moderator).

Tuesday, 23 October 2012, 7 to 9 p.m.: What constitutes social justice in a heterogeneous society?

Globalisation, technological change and immigration make Norway more widely diversified, and ‘we’ is becoming more different. Does this change our view of social justice? What kinds of disparities should we try to counteract? How can we achieve equitable distribution of the benefits of social welfare?

Debate featuring Anne Britt Djuve, head of research at Fafo, Alexander W. Cappelen, professor at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Magnus E. Marsdal, researcher and chair of the Board at the Manifest Centre for Social Analysis, and Dilek Ayhan, managing director of Alarga (moderator).

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