To be launched on Tuesday, the book by politics academic Andrew Scott makes a case for federal Labor to eschew the US and UK for inspiration and instead look to Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark for policy ideas where, he says, economic prosperity is combined with much greater equality.

He notes in Sweden, infant mortality is nearly half the rate of Australia while Finland has achieved "stunning"results in education. On issues such as skills and work and life balance the Scandinavian countries are well ahead of Australia, his book Northern Lights says.

On paid parental leave, Labor has taken the wrong approach and the Prime Minister's signature policy should be backed.

"The ALP's overblown rhetoric condemning more substantial parental leave as 'handouts to millionaires' contradicts its own - and correct - policy of not means-testing childcare rebates, sick leave, annual leave, long-service leave, and universal health insurance [Medicare]," he writes.

Associate Professor Scott, a politics lecturer at Deakin University, told Fairfax Media that while Prime Minister Abbott may not have proposed the policy for the "purest reasons" – due to his lack of popularity with women – it was still good Labor policy.

The policy, proposed by Mr Abbott in 2010, has encountered criticism from within the Coalition and is opposed by Labor, smaller parties and the Senate crossbench. Last week Opposition Leader Bill Shorten dubbed it a "turkey".

Polling by Fairfax Ipsos indicates it is popular with voters aged 25 to 39, who gave it 64 per cent support, but it is opposed by voters overall.

The Abbott policy will pay women 26 weeks salary at their full wage capped at $50,000 and is mostly funded by a tax on large businesses. But it has won few friends, and even the ACTU – which has long advocated generous paid parental leave – has opposed it, claiming Mr Abbott can't be trusted on the issue.

Associate Professor Scott said the policy would have numerous benefits, including better breastfeeding, female workforce participation and benefits to the child. "Don't deprive low-income children of a policy that will makes their lives better because Tony Abbott thought of it, that's petty," he said.

He said while Labor had tightly targeted most welfare payments in Australia there comes a limit to that approach. Changes to workplace laws since the 1990s meant Australia's historic model of a wage earner welfare state was not able to deliver as it once could when incomes were more equal.

They needed to consider higher taxes on income and mining to fund programs on education, parental leave, childcare and public transport. "Thus we need to look at the Nordic system with a strong revenue base. People are prepared to pay more if they see the benefits."