[SeekAndFind]

Sweden is not all that representative of Europe and should not be compared to a country the size of the U.S. For one thing, Sweden's population (9 million) is not even 3% that of the U.S. The U.S. has 10 states with larger populations. A better comparison with the U.S. (314 million) would be to France (64 million) or to the European Union as a whole (503 million). Here are those comparisons.



France is fairly representative of the EU as a whole. The top three quintiles are generally better off in the U.S. than in France or the EU. All else equal, one would expect the majority of voters in the U.S., about 60% of them, to want to keep U.S. economic policies as opposed to adopting France's or the EU's.

The key concept here is the possible explanation of why a certain segment of the population would be willing to accept a smaller GDP, meaning a less wealthy nation overall, if that wealth were spread more evenly. We as a country are about 20% to 40% richer than Sweden, France, and the EU. But about 40% to 50% of us would be better off, as individuals, with the economy of one of those other countries (all else equal).

[Nervous Tick]

A novel and cool way of looking at this issue!

Thanks!

[MattinNJ]

Great post. You also have to figure in “guilt”. I know many wealthy individuals that think it is only fair that wealth be redistributed. I always tell them to feel free to send more money in on their own and to leave mine alone but to no avail.

[MattinNJ]

Great post. You also have to figure in “guilt”. I know many wealthy individuals that think it is only fair that wealth be redistributed. I always tell them to feel free to send more money in on their own and to leave mine alone but to no avail.