Dr. Baldur Thorhallsson

See the Icelandic National Radio

This is the question that I address in my latest paper which was recently published online in the Journal of European Political Science (26 October 2012).

The article identifies a number of fundamental flaws concerning the Icelandic government's economic handling and administrative working practices, which contributed to the scale of the 2008 crash. At the same time, it argues that the authorities altogether failed to take account of the risk associated with the country's small size during the Icelandic ‘outvasion’. It claims that small-state studies need to move back to the basics and consider the original small-states literature, such as the small domestic market, the use of a small currency and the weaknesses associated with a small public administration, in order to fully understand the reasons for the Icelandic economic meltdown. A small state needs to acknowledge its limitations and take appropriate measures to compensate for them.

Find out more here.

I just added some new as well as some older photos to my photo gallery. I really like the ones that were taken by a student of mine just yesterday (thank you Olga Björt Þórðardóttir!) during a lecture on decision-making processes in the European Economic Area.  The lecture is a part of the course 'International Affairs and Iceland's Position in the International System'.

Back in spring 2011 I held a lecture and answered questions at a seminar on EU affairs and the customs union at the Icelandic Customs Academy (is. Tollskóli ríkisins). Here are some photos from that but you can also see more photos (recent and old) in my photo gallery.

The on-line student medium at the University of Iceland, www.student.is, picked up the fact that I forbid computers in my classroom. The reason for them bringing this up is the fact that my students do not hold a grudge, on the contrary they really appreciate it!

The reason for this ban is that I build my teaching on what is called the Socratic method. It is a form of inquiry and debate between individuals with opposing viewpoints. What it does is that it promotes discussion in the classroom as it is based on asking and answering questions during the class to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas. This is something that I put alot of emphasis on as it makes the teaching and learning all the more interesting and fun, both for the students and myself.

You can see the article here, and if you are not fluent in Icelandic Google translate might help!

Neo-Liberal Small States and Economic Crisis: Lessons for Democratic Corporatism with Rainer Kattel in Journal of Baltic Studies.

The year 2012 has been a fruitful year. Six papers are already out. You can find abstracts and/or read the full versions of five out of six of these papers online (see links below). Happy reading!

Financial crisis in Iceland and Ireland: Does EU and Euro membership matter? with Peadar Kirby, in Journal of Common Market Studies, vol. 50, no. 5, September 2012, pp. 801-818.
For abstract click here.

The Icelandic economic collapse: How to overcome constrains associated with smallness? In European Political Science, forthcoming 2012.

Instrumentalizing the European Union in Small State Strategy with Alyson Bailes in Journal of European Integration, forthcoming 2012.

Iceland’s external affairs in the Middle Ages: The shelter of Norwegian sea power. In Stjórnmál og stjórnsýsla, vol. 1, no. 8, June 2012, pp. 5-37.

Small States in the UN Security Council: Means of Influence? In the Hague Journal of Diplomacy, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2012 , pp. 135-160.

A small state seeking shelter in turbulent times: Iceland’s economic crash and EU membership application. In Latvia’s Interests in the European Union (Latvijas Intereses Eiropas Savieniba), 2012/3, pp. 54-63. This special issue of the journal was discussed in the Latvian Parliament.

For more publications  click here

Now you can look at photos from my recent activities and find older photographs on my Flickr page

Baldur Thorhallsson was a visiting speaker at the conference Small State Politics in the Rising World of Gs held by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in June 2010.