A Review of Nordic Crisis Communication Research (2010–2024): Patterns, Concerns, and Reflections on a Specific Nordic Perspective

This study offers the first comprehensive review of peer-reviewed journal articles on crisis communication in a specific region: the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland) from 2010 to 2024. It aims to map the development of Nordic crisis communication research over the past 15 years as it appears in international strategic communication journals and to reflect on the relevance of a Nordic model. Based on an analysis of 69 articles, the review notes a diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches, and identifies six recurring patterns in theory, method, and thematic concern: (1)a strong orientation toward complexity and multivocality; (2) increasing engagement with cultural dynamics; (3) a shift from managerial to participatory understandings of internal crisis communication; (4) media and rhetorical approaches examining framing and debates of crises across platforms; (5) centrality of public sector institutions; and (6) institutional trust as a cultural and communicative resource.