Introduction: Gender equality on a grand tour: politics and institutions - the Nordic Council, Sweden, Lithuania and Russia

EN[...] How and why did this happen? How was gender equality institutionalized in different countries? What problems were encountered on the way to institutionalization? How did local contexts influence institutional design and policies? What role did legacies from the divisive Cold War play in institutionalization? What changes did gender equality institutions experience in the context of neoliberal economic restructuring and Europeanization? Why have some institutions that seem to function well in one place (the Nordic countries) had limited success in others (the Baltic states) or met with strong resistance (as in Russia)? How did the ideas and institutions of gender equality travel, and who were the main actors behind this Grand Tour? This book is an attempt to answer these questions. Our main aim is to explore the politics around the establishment, development and transformation of gender equality institutions in the Nordic countries (on the example of Sweden), in the former communist countries east of the Baltic Sea region (the example of Lithuania) and in the northwestern part of Russia. In particular, the book explores the interplay between the internationalization and Europeanization of gender equality on the one hand and national and local contexts on the other. Special attention is given to the role of the Nordic transnational political actors – the Nordic Council (nc) and the Nordic Council of Ministers (ncm) – in promoting gender equality ideas. These institutions, respectively, were created after the Second World War to foster the development of political and economic cooperation among the five Nordic countries. [...]. [Extract, p. 1-2]