What works in Iceland
8 evaluated practices · All catalogues
Evidence snapshot for Iceland
Iceland has pioneered mandatory equal-pay certification for large employers, with its 2018 law requiring firms with 25+ staff to certify under standard ÍST 85, contributing to a fall in the unadjusted gender pay gap from 14–20% (2015) to 10.4% (2024). The country has also extended paid parental leave to 12 months with 6 months non-transferable per parent, achieving 80–90% father uptake and 131 days average leave use — the highest global benchmark for gender-equal care sharing. Beyond gender equity, Iceland has invested in rural broadband infrastructure, with the Telecommunications Fund co-financing fibre connections that reached approximately 82% of rural households across 57 municipalities by 2024, and has pioneered participatory governance: Reykjavík's Better Reykjavík platform has engaged over 70,000 residents (58%+ of the city) since 2010, resulting in approximately 700 citizen proposals formally adopted.
Drawn from: Iceland Equal Pay Certification Standard (ÍST 85) — Mandatory Equal-Pay Law 2018 · Iceland's 12-Month Gender-Equal Parental Leave Reform (2021) · Mandatory Equal Pay Certification — Iceland's Jafnlaunastaðall (2018) · Ísland ljóstengt (Iceland Fibre-Connected) · Better Reykjavík — Iceland's AI-Assisted Participatory Governance Platform · Grammatek × Hljóðbókasafn Íslands — AI Text-to-Speech Accessible Textbooks for Print-Disabled and Dyslexic Students in Iceland · Votlendissjóður — Icelandic Wetland Fund: National Peatland Rewetting & Carbon Pilot · Bændur græða landið — Iceland's National Land Reclamation Payment Scheme
Generated from this place's cited practices only. Always check the linked sources. · Refresh
Strengths & weaknesses vs peers
Strengths
Evaluation evidence +0.67
Equity & inclusion +0.443
Transferability / replicability +0.313
Documented learning +0.276
Demonstrated reach +0.265
Curator validation +0.25
Effectiveness +0.189
Sustainability +0.186
Impact on gender equality +0.173
Evaluated outcomes +0.163
Efficiency +0.15
Scalability beyond pilot +0.144
Water & soil — retention, infiltration, erosion control +0.129
Transparency, fairness & accountability +0.12
Gender-mainstreaming embedding +0.098
Carbon — sequestration / storage, evidenced +0.095
Governance, capability & sustainability +0.084
Transparency, ethics & data protection +0.083
Weaknesses
Fire resilience — risk reduction, evidenced -0.099
Biodiversity — conservation / improvement, evidenced -0.216
Innovation level -0.256
Teacher capability & pedagogy -0.48
Top good practices here
Iceland Equal Pay Certification Standard (ÍST 85) — Mandatory Equal-Pay Law 2018 · 100
Iceland's 12-Month Gender-Equal Parental Leave Reform (2021) · 96
Mandatory Equal Pay Certification — Iceland's Jafnlaunastaðall (2018) · 89
Ísland ljóstengt (Iceland Fibre-Connected) · 88
Better Reykjavík — Iceland's AI-Assisted Participatory Governance Platform · 87
Votlendissjóður — Icelandic Wetland Fund: National Peatland Rewetting & Carbon Pilot · 47
Bændur græða landið — Iceland's National Land Reclamation Payment Scheme · 40
Recommended to adopt or replicate
Transferable practices from elsewhere that address this place's gaps.
Digital Green — Video-Mediated Agricultural Extension · fit 120
- Backed by strong evidence
Kartu Prakerja – National Digital Skills and Financial Inclusion Programme · fit 120
- Backed by strong evidence
Copenhagen Business Hub (Erhvervshus Hovedstaden) · fit 115
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
LISTA — Tablet-Based Financial Education for Cash-Transfer Recipients · fit 115
- Backed by strong evidence
Smart City Wien Framework Strategy · fit 107
- Rated highly transferable
Ciudad Mujer — El Salvador's Integrated Women's Services Programme · fit 100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
SASA! Community Mobilisation Programme against Intimate Partner Violence — Uganda · fit 100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
work2future · fit 100
- Rated highly transferable