Uber-reader Mike Daley recently introduced me to the Ashbrook Center's blog "No Left Turns." Among the many interesting items there was a link to Eli Lehrer and Jeremy Hildreth's article covering "Scandanavia's Surprising Turn From Socialism":
bq. All around the Baltic, a small but lively movement committed to market economics and individual liberty has mounted a challenge to Scandinavia's long socialistic status quo. Even as the European Union bloats welfare bureaus and launches regulatory regimes that strangle individual initiative and free enterprise, the countries in Europe's north are headed in a different direction...."
There's a short article about the Baltic state of Estonia, too, which is probably the biggest post-Cold War success story of them all. Lehrer & Hildreth offer an interesting glimpse into an area that most of us pay little attention to. Not to mention some suggestive thoughts on the dynamics of pro-freedom movements, and the things that sustain or inhibit them.
P.S. Recent results indicate that the Germans are becoming less thrilled with socialism. Make no mistake - this vote against Schroeder was economic. Whether it will lead to the reforms Germany needs is another question...
it would be so nice to see scandinavian free market paradise replace the usual meme for scandinavian societes. i hope for their sake and for ours that it actually turns in the direction.
I'm a Norwegian-American, have been there a number of times, am in frequent contact with relatives and friends. Honestly, I don't know anyone who is dissatisfied with the generous safety net they have. They live a pretty privileged life compared to most people here and I don't know why they would want to give that up.
PS Finland is a Nordic country, not Scandinavian.
Right on, I just went to Finland. People complain, but they pay their taxes, work hard, and receive generous bennies at the same time. By the way, if the Nordic welfare states are so stifling, how come they haven't been able to stop Nokia, Volvo, Saab, Ikea, Abba, etc...
I have good friends who are Swedish who are always griping about the high taxes there.
Of course, they come to the US to make money, then go back to Sweden to spend it, so perhaps they have found a way to beat the system.
Democratizing (!!!) or demon-rape-ism by Jew controlled Coalition of Imperialism:
http://newswire.indymedia.org/en/newswire/2004/04/802427.shtml