What is this description of a pattern of group behaviour towards individuals within Nordic countries that Sharmi Albrechtsen explored in her book A Piece of Danish Happiness?
Law of Jante The Law of Jante (Danish: "Janteloven" , ] ; Norwegian Bokmål: "Janteloven" , ] , Nynorsk: "Jantelova" ; Icelandic: "Jantelögin" ;,Faroese: "Jantelógin" Swedish: "Jantelagen" , ] ) is the description of a pattern of group behaviour towards individuals within Nordic countries that negatively portrays and criticises individual success and achievement as unworthy and inappropriate. The Jante Law as a concept was created by the Dano-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose, who, in his novel "A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks" ("En flyktning krysser sitt spor", 1933, English translation published in the USA in 1936), identified the Law of Jante as ten rules. Sandemose's novel portrays the small Danish town Jante (modelled upon his native town Nykøbing Mors as it was at the beginning of the 20th century, but typical of all small towns and communities), where nobody is anonymous.
Moderation theory Moderation theory is a set of interrelated hypotheses that explain the process through which political groups eschew radical platforms in favor of more moderate policies and prefer electoral, compromising and non-confrontational strategies over non-electoral, exclusive, and confrontational strategies. Moderation can take place at both ideological and behavioral levels that mutually reinforce each other. The origins of the theory go back to the work of Robert Michels who offers a classical study of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in his book "Political Parties". The theory offers insights into the transformation of party politics in a great range of cultural and historical cases including Socialist and Christian Democrat parties in Western Europe and more recently Islamic political groups. In particular, the evolution of Islamic political parties in Turkey since the early 1970s that culminated in the rise of the Justice and Development Party in the 2002 parliamentary elections exemplifies the dynamics highlighted by moderation theory.