dream-awakener

the nordic way - an economic social model

picture courtesy of virtual finland

if you want to learn about an economic model where you can go to college and study for seven years without paying a cent for your education, if you want to have a baby without worrying about paying for health care, if you want to take about year off of work at ibm after having a baby and get paid 60% of your normal salary to look after your baby, if you want to get paid 70% of your salary for 18 months if you for some reason lose your job, then you probably want to move to finland.

whether you live in helsinki or espoo or tampere, life in finland is much better than it was 50 years ago, according to an article in the christian monitor. "Fifty years ago, Finland was known for little more than the wood pulp from its endless forests. A poverty-striken land of poorly educated loggers and farmers on the edge of the Arctic Circle, few paid attention to ti. Today, this small Nordic nation boasts a thriving hi-tech economy ranked the most competitive in the world, the best educated citizenry of all the industrialized countries, and a welfare state that has created one of the globe's most egalitarian societies."

while their situation as they themselves would say is not necessarily "exportable" if you read the article you will probably glean some cool insights and learn something. as you read about the nordic way, you will learn that taxes are at 45%, but you will also learn that the finish people take care of everyone in their society, including the weak, extremely well. and while they like many countries have experienced many ups and downs when it comes to the economy, they seemed to collectively be ready to face the challenges of globalism with what dr. himanen calls, "welfare state 2.0"

the christian science monitor is writing three fascinating articles about britian, finland and france it is series entitled - three different models for a globalized world. it is a great way to look at three different approaches to economic models for the future. the first article in the series was entitled - is free-market britain fair enough for all?

posted by J.R. Woodward @ 5:27 AM