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Article
Publication date: 6 August 2020

Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen and Ove Skarpenes

This paper provides an analysis of the notion of dugnad (collective effort) in the context of the first weeks of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Norway. By appealing to people's sense…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper provides an analysis of the notion of dugnad (collective effort) in the context of the first weeks of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Norway. By appealing to people's sense of collective effort (dugnadsånd) Norwegian leaders successfully managed to coordinate the actions of the population and beat the outbreak.

Design/methodology/approach

The argument builds on the pragmatic sociology associated with Boltanski and Thévenot and their “orders of worth”. Building on qualitative interview studies of the Norwegian middle and working classes a moral ideal type labelled “the socially responsible citizen” is identified.

Findings

The authors argue that dugnad is embedded in a moral repertoire of the socially responsible citizen that is indicative of a specific Norwegian welfare mentality and that is imperative for the sustainability and resilience of the Norwegian welfare model. This repertoire is found across social classes and has to be understood in light of the Norwegian welfare model and the role of civil society.

Social implications

The analysis explains the societal impact of the appeal and endorsement of the notion of dugnad in the context of the outbreak of COVID-19.

Originality/value

The paper explores the roots and impact of a social phenomenon that has not been a matter for much sociological analysis.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 42 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

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