Speaking of "Swedish Models":
But I won't deny Sweden and the rest of the Nordic Countries today appear like Paradise compared to most neighbors south as well as east of the border.
The reasons we're so well off basically is Capitalism, Realism and Lutheran work ethics, but for some reason certain people over here are too brainwashed with Socialist ideology to realize this.
But anyhow, who invented the 'Nordic' or 'Scandinavian' Model?
Actually, good ol' Otto von Bismarck and the Danish Socialists did.
Bismarck's Germany was the first nation to introduce modern time nationwide social insurance programs, this philosophy soon spread to Denmark where it was cross-fertilized with Socialism and finally, it caught a following in my country.
However, I'd say we Swedes are better at propaganda, marketing and branding than our neighbors. Whichever way you look at it, IKEA, H&M and Volvo are stronger brands than Lego or Nokia.
Back in 1970, the Swedish economy entered the new decade displaying a promising annual GDP growth rate of 7%, crowning 25 years of remarkable economic success. This was not a result of Socialism, but by well ran companies and a World eager to recover after the insanity of WWII.
However, instead of making good use of the money and power at our disposal, Swedish politicians and voters for some reason decided it was time to perform certain socialist experiments.
One of the least impressive results from this era of research remains that of the ever-growing public sector.
Around 1990, we Swedes were forced by harsh realities to make drastic changes. Since the global economic crises of the early 1990's, Sweden has downsized its public sector, cut taxes and constantly been working hard to create a business friendly atmosphere in all of society.
But this has little to do with the 'Nordic Model'.
One might speak of a NEW Nordic Model; a model of society that, despite PC multiculturalism and suchlike nonsense, manages to year after year produce new capitalist success stories and a corner of the World featuring an economy that despite its 25 million population is the tenth largest on Earth and so on.
But again, this has got very little to do with outdated Swedish Socialist ideas of the early and mid 20th century.
Socialism can perhaps be workable in a homogenous society where everyone shares the same work ethic and belief system.
In a multicultural society, it is a recipe for disaster.
Speaking of "Swedish Models":
The Nordic Model should really be called the oil / fishing model since that is what really paid for it. Two massive industries couldn’t support the Nordic model in countries with pretty low overall populations.
Wait,.....if it’s socialism, don’t the people own it?
“Back in 1970, the Swedish economy entered the new decade displaying a promising annual GDP growth rate of 7%, crowning 25 years of remarkable economic success. This was not a result of Socialism, but by well ran companies and a World eager to recover after the insanity of WWII”
Was that experience also aided by the fact of Sweden’s general nuetrality during WWII, which left her cities and industries in better shape starting out in 1945 than was the case with many of her southern neighbors. A neutrality from which some Swedish interests, particularly iron-ore mining gained $$ considerably, from Germany, during the war?
You are saying the answer to why the Nordic countries, without saying it. I’ll say it; it’s my treatise for the world as we see it today; it’s culture, culture, culture my friend.
Why Sweden today? Why South Korea (natural resources nearly zero, human resources immense), why tiny Singapore? It’s culture.
Why not the Philippines (humongeous natural resources -iron ore and bauxite on Mindinao, fantastic deep seaport in the middle of the China sea, tons of talented people - nurses and doctors working all over the world, tons of corruption, low general education achievment, and more nepotism than entrepenuers)? It’s culture, culture, culture.
It’s my treatise on the world as we see it today.
“Culture - a culminating social by-product of a long history of a people, is a stronger part of our social DNA than political or religious ideologies. “©Wuli2012
“Why is Russia still Czarist Russia? It’s culture. Why have the Chinese merely replaced the single emperor on the Imperial throne with a collective (the politburo) on the throne? It’s culture.”©Wuli2012
The “Nordic Model” is neither an absolute socialist model anymore than it is an anti-capitalist model. But its cultural base suggests that it is also not exactly transportable to some other land. Others can learn from it, study what is really working (or not) and how (or how not), and evaluate what that study means to them. If they take anything from it, it will likely be similar to how the Japanese once studied American manufacturing, to learn from it. Then they went home and used the American parts they like to build their own systems, systems that worked for them.
It’s culture.
So true but like you said so many want to fight tooth and nail to hang on to the failed leftist ways. I read an article not too long ago, on the Local, about how Sweden was becoming more and more individualistic. The cries from (the mostly Brit) readers were just maddening.