The Norwegian state transformed?

The centralised state model in Norway was established in 1814 with a hierarchical central structure and has since been the dominant model. Features of the institutional state model integrated cultural norms and values into the centralised state. After World War II elements from the corporatist state model were also seen as part of a collective effort of developing the welfare state. New Pubic Management (NPM) primarily made an impact in Norway from the 1990s through structural devolution – the establishment of more autonomous agencies and state-owned enterprises. The current Centre–Conservative government has strengthened these features by implementing part privatisation and more autonomy for the regulatory agencies. Norway has gone from a reluctant to an eager reformer without actually transforming the central state to a supermarket state. Norway, like other Scandinavian countries, has become more similar to the UK, the front-runner of NPM in Europe, but still retains some important traditional features from the central and the institutional state model.