As a Swede living in the UK, I often get compliments about my country of origin. From people raving about its welfare system and policies on gender equality to its TV dramas and “fika” breaks, it seems like some Brits think Sweden is an actual utopia. That said, it hasn’t been so popular since it decided to take a relatively relaxed approach to the coronavirus pandemic.

Whether Sweden’s approach will turn out to be as disastrous as many people predict remains to be seen. And because it is so different from even that of its neighbouring Nordic countries – which are otherwise culturally, economically, politically and geographically similar – it is providing scientists with the perfect intervention study.

That’s because it is surprisingly difficult to compare strategies in countries as different as South Korea, China, Italy and the UK. Italy, for example, has more regions with older populations than many other countries. And European societies are unlikely to ever accept the draconian interventions used in China and South Korea. The Nordic countries, however, may tell us a great deal.

But it isn’t just science that matters. The coronavirus pandemic will no doubt lead to an outbreak of divisive and disruptive political blame games. Keir Starmer, the new leader of the Labour Party starts his job amid this global crisis. And art can also lead to change. From an installation in Fukushima that no one can visit to a stalker’s visual diary, read about these radical artworks to challenge how you view the world.

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