In a unique project, a group of leading corporate governance experts from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have come together to define and explain the Nordic model of corporate governance. This book is a result of this project. The book provides a timely contribution to the European debate about corporate governance and its current quest for active and engaged shareholders. The essence of the Nordic governance model is to create incentives for shareholders to be engaged and take a long-term approach to the companies that they own. An international perspective on the Nordic corporate governance model is provided by Stanford professor Ronald Gilson. This book deserves to be widely read and carefully studied by anyone interested in the design of corporate governance systems Colin Mayer, Peter Moores Professor of Management Studies, Said Business School, University of Oxford.