Comment les Norvégiens font-ils pour en avoir pour leur argent? Ils ne font pas comme nous.
Viking Economics: How the Scandinavians Got It Right-and How We Can, Too.
George Lakey
Critique dans The Norwegian American
The new book by George Lakey chronicles the history of social movements that forged the modern day Nordic model.
-Liberals worldwide invoke Scandinavia as a promised land of equality, while most conservatives fear it as a hotbed of liberty-threatening socialism. But the left and right can usually agree on one thing: that the Nordic system is impossible to replicate elsewhere. The US and UK are too big, or too individualistic, or too . . . something.
-In Viking Economics—perhaps the most fun economics book you’ve ever read—George Lakey dispels these myths. He explores the inner workings of the Nordic economies that boast the world’s happiest, most productive workers, and explains how, if we can enact some of the changes the Scandinavians fought for surprisingly recently, we, too, can embrace equality in our economic policy.
-“The Nordic model has proven extraordinarily successful in ensuring a decent standard of living for all the citizens of these countries, while at the same time keeping them open to international trade and at the forefront of technology. This short book is a great starting point for those looking for insights into the origins and structure of this model.” —
-Lakey dismisses the common right-wing canard that the Nordic countries are “welfare states,” full of dependence. In Lakey’s words, the Nordic model is a “universal services state,” that focuses on poverty alleviation, a robust social safety net and full employment, with a commitment to work as central part of their anti-poverty strategy for those who are able.
-Productivity rates are considerably higher, even with a shorter workweek. And the rate of start-up companies in Norway and Denmark is considerably higher than the U.S. Researchers from the U.S. found that Nordic entrepreneurs are greater risk-takers because they don’t worry about education debt, retirement and medical care, thanks to Nordic “universal services.”