Happiness

Peoplehood Peoplehood - what a word! Through tumultous times with wars on land borders, disputes on languages spoken, and relations with foreign nation states, peoplehood is shaped, molded and at times reconfigured. Host Andrew Davidson takes a deep dive along with modern historian Ove Korsgaard to pinpoint some of the most important events that have shaped the notion of Danish and to some extent Nordic peoplehood.  Host: Andrew Davidson Guest: Ove Korsgaard Original music: Kristian Kruse 

Everyone’s heard of The Little Mermaid and Pippi Longstocking, the two well known characters written by the Nordic authors Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren respectively. AAnd even though the two characters are quite different and came about at very different times they do share certain traits and both had societal significance. Host Andrew Davidson has invited the authors of Children’s Literature Nina Christensen and Charlotte Appel, who have not only brought fascinating knowledge on the subject, but also an abundance of books to the studio. Host: Andrew Davidson Guests: Nina Christensen and Charlotte Appel Original music: Kristian Kruse

You’ve heard of welfare in the Nordic countries, but did you know that urban planning has played a great role in its materialization? Neither has host Andrew Davidson, but luckily professor of planning at the University of Copenhagen, Ellen Braae, has guested him in the studio to explain how. But when large cities start to form and expand the coveted green areas become smaller and neglected – so how do you make sure that these are intact? You’ll have to press play to find out. Host: Andrew Davidson Guest: Ellen Braae Original Music: Kristian Kruse

The Nordic model is a term you might've heard of, but do you actually know what it means? Well, Torben M. Andersen, professor of economics among other things, is here to explain it. Host Andrew Davidson is especially interested in hearing what kind of building blocks it consists of and if it is actually a sustainable system as the world around us progresses and changes.Host: Andrew DavidsonGuest: Torben M. AndersenOriginal music and editing: Kristian Kruse

Nordic countries usually rank among the best in terms of equality and that's all well and good, but the important questions are how and why. Carsten Jensen, professor of political science, explains host Andrew Davidson that there are four pillars on which the Nordics place their trust: economic, intergenerational, gender and health. How do these four pillars interact with each other and what role do they play in society? You'll have to listen to find out.Host: Andrew DavidsonGuest: Carsten JensenOriginal music and editing: Kristian Kruse

The Nordic people are a happy bunch! At least, every other survey on the subjects says that the Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway - are among the happiest of the world. Christian Bjørnskov, professor of economics has written the book on happiness - literally - which is why host Andrew Davidson is very keen on finding out why they're so happy, what it means for their societies, but also why a professor of economics knows so much about being happy.Host: Andrew DavidsonGuest: Christian BjørnskovOriginal music and editing: Kristian Kruse