What lies ahead for the Nordic Model? is a discussion paper on the future of the Nordic welfare model in a global competition economy. The Nordic Council of Ministers' Program on Welfare Research (2000–2005) concludes that we have a Nordic welfare model. The discussion paper sums up important results, analyses, and messages conveyed by the research projects. Leading politicians, heads of labor-market organizations, and welfare researchers in the Nordic countries have presented their views on the Nordic welfare societies' strengths and weaknesses, and the most important challenges they face in the years to come. The report points to the major challenges that the Nordic welfare states will have to meet so that they will be able to balance the further evolution of the welfare state with their position in the global competition economy.