For the sake of this argument, let's say I don't care about the life quality and the happiness of the country's citizens. That doesn't mean I approve China sort of conditions, but just the bare minimum of surviving.
So all your arguments about how everyone are high happy in Norway is irrelevant.
Not really sure what this means. Also, you slander weed smoking like it's a bad thing. Marijuana is great. Better than booze or tobacco.
(Also, doesn't North european countries have some issues with depression and high suicide rates?)
Suicide rates vary wildly. For example, South Korea, with one of the higher HDI ratings, has a very high suicide rate. Conversely, Peru, which has a very low HDI rating, has one of the lowest. As for the Scandanavian states, they have roughly middle-of-the-road suicide rates.
In a social-liberal economies educated people earn more, but by how much? I heard from someone who lives in one of these countries that he complains about the taxes. Still, I would think that in the US the compensation for having more experience\education increase in a higher rate(let's say exponentially) eventhough the average or median is lower.
I don't think you understand what GDP per capita is. It is the measure of a country's gross domestic product (what is made in the country, then sold within or exported to other countries), divided by the number of inhabitants (the "capita" part). Norway, Denmark, and Sweden all have higher GDP per capita than the US, which means that the average citizen contributes more to the country's wealth in Sweden than they do in the USA.
Going by income equality, the Nordic states have roughly a 1:20 equality (worker:CEO), which means that the average CEO only earns 20x more than the average worker. Comparatively, the US has an income quality rate more on the order of 1:400. And it is worth mentioning that, in an economic system like our's, your income is less determined by actual ability or skill and more determined by the class you were born into and who you know. Most rich people are not that smart or much more skilled than the average worker. I have more esteem for a carpenter than the CEO of a venture capital firm.
So on the lower end it's worse for the US, but on the higher end it's better for the US.
You mean that poor people live in the mud and oligarchs own 12 mansions.
I fail to see how this is good for a country.
I think you are downplaying on how much uniform compensation people get for having more experience\education.
Given the educational bubble burst in the USA, this lead is evaporating in the US.
And finally, you didn't prove that this kind of social-liberal economy scales up. Germany has about $40k GDP per Capita, Norway has twice of that.
Germany's population is bigger than Norway, Germany has a stronger economy than Norway. Yet Germany's GDP per Capita is half that of Norway.
Here, now I am showing you numbers and rationalize that this kind of social liberal economy don't scale up. I will even get a step further and "proove" that there is a negative correlation between the population and the GDP per capita.
Even more so, the US GDP per capita is not so bad. It's 15 place in the world HIGHER THAN GERMANY which has LOWER POPULATION and is SOCIAL LIBERAL.
Now the numbers don't add up, do they?
How are you judging "stronger economy"? By most measures of economic strength (frequency of recession, GDP, import/export markets) the Nordic states have a much stronger economic system than say, the US.
Also you are sort of ignoring the fact that Germany has had to rebuild after almost a full century of war and oppression and destruction. The German Unification, WWI, WWII, and the Cold War have left a large, indelible mark on Germany's society and economy. Given the fact that it's basically been in a period of rebuilding since before you were born, I think Germany's doing alright.
Why am I making this post...
Player
