Introduction
Policymaking in the Republic of Iceland is significantly influenced by its historical ties and integration with the Nordic region. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Iceland was politically, socially, and culturally connected to Denmark (Kristinsson, 2022). The roots of Iceland’s political system can be traced back to the establishment of the Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, in 930 by Viking settlers. During the commonwealth period, which lasted until 1262, the Alþingi served as a legislative body and a high court. However, with the advent of the “Old Covenant” (Gamli sáttmáli) in 1262, Iceland came under the rule of Norway and later Denmark, resulting in the loss of legislative functions for the Alþingi.
In 1845, the Alþingi was re-established as a consultative assembly under the Danish monarchy. It wasn’t until 1874 that a new constitution granted the Alþingi joint legislative powers with the crown on matters exclusive to Iceland (Alþingi, 2002 in Eydal, 2005)....
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Davíðsdóttir, B. (2022). Towards an Icelandic sustainable energy system. Relying on domestic renewable energy. In C. De la Porte, G. B. Eydal, J. Kauko, D. Nohrstedt, P. t’Hart, & B. S. Tranoy (Eds.), Successful public policy in the Nordic countries (pp. 351–369). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192856296.003.0017
Development and importance of tourism for Iceland. (n.d.). Worlddata.Info. Retrieved 30 May 2023, from https://www.worlddata.info/europe/iceland/tourism.php
EES – samningurinn – Yfirlit. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 June 2023, from https://www.stjornarradid.is/verkefni/utanrikismal/evropusamvinna/ees-upplysingaveitan/ees-samningurinn-yfirlit/
Eydal, G. B. (2005). Icelandic family policy 1944–1984. Göteborgs Universitet.
Eydal, G. B., & Gíslason, I. V. (2008). Equal rights to earn and care. Félagsvísindastofnun.
Ferðamálastofa. (2023). Ferðaþjónusta í tölum – janúar 2023: Samantekt fyrir árið 2022. https://www.ferdamalastofa.is/is/um-ferdamalastofu/frettir/ferdathjonusta-i-tolum-januar-2023-samantekt-fyrir-arid-2022
Forsætisráðuneytið. (2017). Vönduð löggjöf. Yfirlit yfir 145. löggjafarþing (2015–2016). https://www.stjornarradid.is/media/forsaetisraduneyti-media/media/frettir2/Vondud-loggjof%2D%2D-februar-2017.pdf
Helgadóttir, O., & Ólafsson, J. G. (2022). Referendums as resistance: International pressures and nationalist recoil in Iceland. Journal of European Public Policy, 29(8), 1330–1350. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2021.1931411
Hlynsdóttir, E. M. (2018). Autonomy or integration: Historical analysis of the debate on the purpose of Icelandic local self government. Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration, 14(1), 81–100. https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2018.14.1.4
Iceland – Tourism. (n.d.). Retrieved 30 May 2023, from https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/iceland-tourism
Ingebritsen, C. (1998). The Nordic states and European Unity. Cornwell University Press.
Kristinsson, G. H. (2022). Corruption and the state building. The case of Iceland. Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration, 18(2), 113–234. https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2022.18.2.3
Kristinsson, G. H., & Indriðason, I. H. (2022). The role of parliament under ministerial government. Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration, 14(2), 149–166. https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2018.14.1.7
Lög um samþættingu þjónustu í þágu farsældar barna no. 86/2021.
Magnússon, M. Á. S. (2016). Weathering the storm – Icelandic municipalities’ handling of an unprecedented economic crisis. Strategic Public Management Journal, 2(3), 25–25. https://doi.org/10.25069/spmj.290501
Óskarsdóttir, S. (2018). Public committees and corporatism: How does Iceland compare to Scandinavia? Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration, 14(1), 167–188. https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2018.14.1.7
Overview of Nordic defence and security cooperation. (2021, October 27). https://nordics.info/show/artikel/overview-of-nordic-defence-and-security-cooperation
Samráðsgátt. (n.d.). Um Samráðsgátt. https://samradsgatt.island.is/um-samradsgatt/
Sigurgeirsdóttir, S. (2016). Policy entrepreneurs in times of uncertainty: How the idea of user driven personal assistance came to fruition in Iceland. Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration, 12(2), 277–302. https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2016.12.2.5
Stjórnarskráin. (n.d.). [The constitution of Iceland]. https://www.stjornarradid.is/verkefni/stjornskipan-og-thjodartakn/stjornarskrain/
Sveitarfélögin. (n.d.). Samband Íslenskra Sveitarfélaga. http://www.samband.is/sveitarfelogin/
Sveitarstjórnarlög, no. 138/2011.
Thorhallsson, B. (2002). Consequences of a small administration: The case of Iceland. Current Politics and Economics of Europe, 11(1), 61–76.
Thorhallsson, B. (2018). A small state in world politics: Iceland’s search for shelter. Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration, 14(1), 61–82.
Thorhallsson, B., & Rebhan, C. (2011). Iceland’s economic crash and integration takeoff: An end to European Union Scepticism? Scandinavian Political Studies, 34, 53–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9477.2010.00261.x
Tranoy, B. S., & Sigurjonsson, O. T. (2022). Back from the brink: Iceland’s successful economic recovery. In C. De la Porte, G. B. Eydal, J. Kauko, D. Nohrstedt, P. t’Hart, & B. S. Tranoy (Eds.), Successful public policy in the Nordic countries (pp. 388–408). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192856296.003.0019
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Skjöld Magnússon, M.Á., Eydal, G.B. (2024). Iceland, Public Policy in. In: van Gerven, M., Rothmayr Allison, C., Schubert, K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Public Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90434-0_85-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90434-0_85-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-90434-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-90434-0
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Political Science and International StudiesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences