Changing health inequalities in the Nordic countries?

The Nordic countries, referring here to Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Swede n, have often been viewed as a group of countries with many features in com mon, such as geographical location, history, culture, religion, language, a nd economic and political structures. It has also been habitual to refer to a "Nordic model" of welfare states comprising a large public sector, activ e labour market policies, high costs for social welfare as well as high tar ts, and a general commitment to social equality (1). Recent research sugges ts that much of this "Nordicness" appears to remain despite the fact that t he Nordic countries have experienced quite different changes during the 198 0s and 1990s (2). How this relates to changes in health inequalities is in the focus of this supplement.