I could not have stumbled onto this article at a better time. I have been trying to make the case that Democrats should not fear GOP calling them Socialists. Instead, we must point out we want to provide the things Americans say they want in poll after poll. Most importantly, Norway proves it is not a pie-in-the-sky lost cause.
Reliable statistics on the Venezuelan economy are hard to come by, but Norway is unquestionably more socialist than Venezuela according to the above definition. Indeed, it is considerably more socialist than supposedly-communist China, where only 31 percent of national wealth is owned by the state.
Norway is not some destitute hellscape. Indeed, not only are Norwegian stores well-stocked with toilet paper, it is actually considerably more wealthy than the U.S., with a GDP of over $70,000 per person. Even when you correct for the moderately large oil sector (which accounts for a bit less than a quarter of its exports), it still has a cutting-edge, ultra-productive economy — far from some petro-state living off oil rents like Dubai.
Socially, it routinely ranks as the happiest (2017) or second-happiest (2018) country in the world. The rest of the Nordics are also usually among the top five as well — even more remarkable when you factor in the phenomenon of seasonal affective disorder and the extreme northerly position of the Scandinavian peninsula.
On a snapshot of other quality-of-life measures, Norway boasts:
- A life expectancy of 81.7 years.
- An infant mortality rate of two per 1,000 live births.
- A murder rate of 0.51 per 100,000.
- An incarceration rate of 74 per 100,000.
How does all that compare to the United States? Well, our economy is somewhat less wealthy, with per capita GDP of $59,500 — but to be fair, that is about the highest outside of oil-rich or tax haven countries. Socially, however, the picture is much worse: America ranks in the mid-teens for happiest countries, while its life expectancy is two yearsbehind Norway, and actually fell in 2016 and 2017. America’s infant mortality rate is three times higher. Its murder rate is over 10 times higher, as is its incarceration rate.
Source: If democratic socialism is so bad, why is Norway so great?
My Politics Done Right show today covered this in great detail.
The article points out something that should give Americans pause.
The fact is, when it comes to building a decent place to live, Norway is completely blowing America out of the water. So while conservatives have been pointedly ignoring the most obvious and relevant piece of evidence in their spittle-flecked tirades against socialism, Norwegians can and do point to the United States as an example of what happens when you let capitalism run wild — and with a great deal more justice.
So much for American exceptionalism. Saying so does not make it so.
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When you bring up the Nordic countries and how well they are doing Republicans tend to shrug and say that it is possible only due to a small population and little cultural diversity. This is just an excuse as Germany has 70 millions and still manage to outdo the US for pretty much the same “socialist” reasons.
Norwegian here. And… you use the word “socialism” in a way we do not recognize. Measuring the percentage of wealth held by the government to determine how socialist a country is does not make sense when its shares and bonds in working stock exchanges. What you are measuring is what we call “statism”.
When your conception of national economies put Norway, Venezuela and North Korea in the same bracket, its not fit for purpose.
If you are actually going to use our way of doing things in discussions of your politics, it might be useful if you know our terms for this, so:
Socialism – a system where the public is supposed to own everything in common. Means of production in particular. Its being tried in Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela.
Democratic Socialism – believing that revolutions tend to destroy things and leads to ruthless dictators often ending up on top with a deathgrip on power, so socialism should be implemented by democratic means. Arguably what happened in Venezuela.
Social Democracy – a government investing money in growing and improving a productive middle class. Includes a lot of welfare, but often a far more cost/benefit optimized welfare than Americans think. Its doesn’t actually have anything to do with how the nation is oriented on the socialism/capitalism axis. Its about how the government spends its money rather than how the economy is divided between actors.
The point here is that social democracy and capitalism are independent of each other in terms of national setups. You can have both on high, both on low, any combination. Not all combinations work well of course.
Social Democracies can be set up in any democratic economy. But if it is not a strong economy, you have problems affording the welfare, you run up debts and get lots of strikes. I am sure we can think of nations with that problem. But if you put in a strongly capitalist economy under the hood as an engine, you get what we call
The Nordic Model – strong capitalist economies producing resources that are invested in the middle classes.
From our perspective, the US talk a good talk on capitalism, but when push comes to shove, businesses are too big to fail and have to be bailed out by the government. Or protected from having to negotiate with unions. In Scandinavia, if a business goes under, the executives lose their jobs. Non-performing companies dying is actually a part of the market economy and a fairly vital one at that. Also, if you shield the largest companies from failure, that may not be many but it ends up being a big part of the economy. And negotiating with unions is also a vital part of the market.
Nordic countries have stronger property rights, easier access to college, and universal healthcare with makes it much easier to start businesses. And that is part of a functioning market economy. Not just easing things for the big actors but making sure its easy it works for small businesses and Joe Average too.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I use Democratic socialism and social democracy interchangeably. I refer to capitalism as a system where capital is preeminent. I use free Enterprise to define the market side of the economy.