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| From the cover of The Economist - 2 Feb 2013 |
According to The Economist Nordic countries have much to teach the world.
The question, I suppose, is whether the world will convince itself that Nordic lessons can be adopted outside Nordic nations.
Living in Oslo has made me appreciate the Nordic model even more. It feels confident without being arrogant. It has a sense of collective good that allows citizens to believe and exercise the power of collaboration. Norwegians, for example, can grasp with the global climate challenge. They don´t feel it is a conspiracy against their country. When I lived in the US, I noticed that "personal achievement" was at the core of their model. You must achieve, achieve, achieve. Even what you want to achieve will cost you everything (Yes, I am thinking of Lance Amstrong).
Perhaps the sentence in The Economist´s piece that surprised me was:
"And as the Asians introduce welfare states they too will look to the Nordics: Norway is a particular focus of the Chinese."
And why not some Latin American countries too? I am sure many smaller countries like mine would be happy to learn. Green taxes anyone?
