Insights on Nordic Nations Missing in the American Perspective

In an article titled "American History Books," published in The Atlantic, Finnish author Anu Partanen discusses the potential for the United States to learn from the Nordic approach to flourishing in the 21st century. Partanen, a former Finnish citizen who fought against socialism in Finland's wars against the Soviet Union, argues that America need not become a Nordic utopia but can benefit from adopting similar policies.

Hillary Clinton has recently endorsed policies akin to those in Nordic countries, such as paid family leave, better public schools, affordable day care, health care, and college. Clinton emphasizes America's strengths as a land of freedom for entrepreneurs and businesses, while also recognizing the need for support structures in a global economy.

Partanen points out that Nordic countries are often labelled as 'nanny states' by Americans due to their high-quality services and welfare policies. However, she argues that these policies save people money, time, and trouble. For instance, a Finnish citizen, now a U.S. citizen, paid income tax at a rate not much higher than in New York City and received benefits such as nearly a full year of paid parental leave, affordable daycare, free college, free graduate school, nearly free world-class health care, and a full year of partially paid disability leave.

Partanen also addresses the concerns of supporters of Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump regarding worsening income inequality, shrinking opportunity, the decline of the middle class, and the survival of the ordinary family in the face of globalization. She argues that free-market capitalism and universal social policies can coexist and are not about big government.

The development of Scandinavian social policies is attributed to social democratic political leaders who initiated the model in the 1930s, centrist and right-wing political parties, influential labor unions, and broad public participation in social decision-making. These stakeholders together shaped the Nordic welfare model characterized by comprehensive public services, high taxation, extensive social benefits, labor market participation, gender equality, and income redistribution.

Nordic countries like Sweden and Denmark have produced successful international businesses such as Ikea, H&M, Spotify, Volvo, Lego, Carlsberg, and Novo Nordisk. Despite their high taxes on consumption and collection of more tax revenue than the U.S., partly from the wealthy, their economies go through cycles and make mistakes like any other region.

Partanen does not express a preference for any specific presidential candidate but suggests that from a Nordic-American perspective, Bernie Sanders's policy proposals are not different from what the Nordic countries have already proven works. She discusses the need for education, health care, and support structures in a global economy, urging America to focus on the future, not the socialist bogeymen of the past.