Sweden’s “Third Way” Mixed Economy Model II

cancel2 2022

Canceled
I very much doubt that Crypiss has actually been to Sweden, especially Malmö, which has been turned into an Islamic shithole by incredibly stupid and naive Swedish liberals. It's now the bomb capital of Europe, and a gangster's paradise. Fortunate there is evidence that the Swedes are now woke and prepared to kick out stupid politicians.

 
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I see that Crypiss is playing the race card now, all very predictable. What the fuck do you expect to happen if you bring in hundreds of thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East. Many are young single men who are poorly educated and have absolutely no intention of integrating or learning Swedish. They have little chance of getting jobs and end up forming gangs to live off the proceeds of crime. You'd have to be a total fuckwit to expect otherwise quite frankly.
 
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Get this through your skull. You lost the potential to interact with me when you willfully decided to stoop to girlish gossip, bogus innuendo, slander. It is your loss, because as you are fully aware, I am generally measured, on-topic, germane, and reasonably civil by message board standards to those who have the maturity to reciprocate.

See my standard response for bigots, gossipers, liars, slanderers >
https://www.justplainpolitics.com/s...pier-than-everyone-else&p=2381714#post2381714
Slander me again and I'll have my lawyer contact your lawyer.
Now wouldn't it be easier for you to immigrate to Sweden than change the entire system of the richest and most powerful country ?
 
Slander me again and I'll have my lawyer contact your lawyer.
Now wouldn't it be easier for you to immigrate to Sweden than change the entire system of the richest and most powerful country ?

Have you noticed that the vast majority of his posts contain either I or me, he is just the smuggest, most hectoring, and sanctimonious poster on here. Pretty obvious to me that he's never actually been to Sweden anyway, he is referring to a time that's fast vanishing and a newer nastier country is emerging.

To outside observers, Sweden seems to have it all. It combines a high living standard with a strong social security net, some of the most progressive values in the world, and generous systems for paid sick and maternity leave. Health, education, and elder care are mainly publicly funded, yet competition and choice are encouraged, because private firms play an important role in providing these services. Many Swedish voters, however, are dissatisfied with the trajectory of their society. Of particular importance during this vote will be immigration, rising crime, sluggish economic growth, and, perhaps surprisingly, the welfare model itself. General elections on Sept. 9 will likely see the current government, led by the Social Democrats, kicked out of office. Meanwhile, extreme parties on the right as well as on the left stand to make big gains.

To understand Sweden’s problems, it is helpful to first look at its strengths. In many ways, it is an unusually successful country. To begin with, Sweden is the European Union member state with the highest share of the workforce employed in so-called brain business jobs. Fully 9 percent of the Swedish workforce holds such roles, that is to say jobs in fields like technology and creative services. This is nearly twice the EU average.

Sweden’s achievements as a knowledge economy should come as no surprise. The public and private sectors both invest heavily in research and development. And although Swedes have largely abandoned Christian religious views, Nordic Protestant business culture, which stresses hard work, individual responsibility, and punctuality, lives on.

Meanwhile, as the World Values Survey shows, Protestant countries in Northern Europe have gone furthest in the world in growing to value secular rationalism and self-expression. And Sweden stands out even among them for its progressive values. These principles are in line with the country’s open-borders immigration policies, which, in 2015, led it to set a record among developed economies for most refugees welcomed per capita.

Despite all its advantages, Sweden still faces turmoil. The same government—a center-right administration led by Moderate Party leader Fredrik Reinfeldt—that encouraged Sweden’s open-border immigration policies also transformed the country by pushing through extensive tax cuts, reductions in the generosity of welfare programs, and a widened role for private enterprises in public service provision. Although these moves were initially contested, they were, in time, largely accepted by the public.
Despite all its advantages, Sweden still faces turmoil.

Open borders, however, were never as popular, and in the 2014 elections, many voters turned from Reinfeldt’s Moderate Party to the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats. After the vote, a minority government, led by the left-leaning Social Democrats under party head Stefan Lofven, took over.

Lofven initially continued Sweden’s open-borders policy and proclaimed in the midst of the 2015 refugee crisis: “My Europe does not build any walls; we help each other.” And so, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in 2015 Sweden accepted 163,000 asylum-seekers—a rather high figure for a country with a population of 10 million, and the highest per capita inflow into any OECD country.

Soon after Lofven’s remarks, the Social Democrats under him and the Moderates under new leadership suddenly shifted away from favoring open borders toward preferring more controlled migration. The sudden turnabout might seem odd, but it came in response to some real problems. Over the past several years, Sweden has by some measures experienced a rise in violent crime, linked in part to gangs with immigrant origin. The problem is concentrated in Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city, where nearly half the population is foreign-born or has foreign-born parents. Two local newspapers calculated that, in 2016, there were 3.4 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in Malmo. That is slightly higher than the murder rate in New York state for the same year.

Alternative right-wing media sometimes gives an exaggerated picture of the level of crime in Sweden. In truth, Sweden is still a relatively safe society. However, issues such as rising gang violence and car burnings have increased voter support for the Sweden Democrats. The party—which was associated in the 1990s with a then-growing neo-Nazi movement but has since moderated its platform—campaigns on a tougher stance on immigration and crime. It gained less than 0.1 percent of the vote in the 1991 election, but it has about doubled its voter support between each election since then. In the 2014 vote, the Sweden Democrats won 12.9 percent of the total. This year, it is polling at 18.9 percent.

The Sweden Democrats may have moved on from their neo-Nazi past, but Sweden is again grappling with rising support for neo-Nazi groups. One openly racist party, Alternative for Sweden, is campaigning on sending home immigrants who have Swedish citizenship. Another new party, Borgerlig Alternativ, is attempting to gather center-right voters who wish to see tighter immigration policy. These two groups, as well as the left-oriented Feminist Initiative party, are gaining attention but have little hope of passing the 4 percent threshold to enter the parliament. Yet on the extreme left, the Left Party, which is already in parliament, could very easily continue to do so. At the moment, nearly one in 10 voters is supporting this former Communist Party in the polls. It campaigns on socialist distribution policies and on ending the ability of private firms to provide publicly funded education, health, and elder care services.

Voter enthusiasm for the two largest mainstream parties is, on the other hand, limited. The Social Democrats dominated political life in Sweden for much of the 20th century and early 2000s—so much so that, until their loss in the 2006 elections, Sweden was sometimes called a one-party state. As late as 2002, the party routinely controlled some 40 percent of the votes in parliament. Currently, support is at 26 percent and falling. The Moderates, the mainstay center-right party, peaked at 30 percent of voters in 2010 and fell to 23 percent four years later. Currently, the party is polling at 17 percent of the vote and declining.

The Death of the Most Generous Nation on Earth

One reason the two main parties are increasingly unattractive to voters is that stagnating economic growth has undermined voter confidence in the parties that have actually held power. Sweden is unique in its knowledge-intensive economy, but it also stands out for pursuing an economic policy based on negative interest rates. Cheap money is flooding the economy and driving up household borrowing. In 2017, household debt was at 185 percent of household incomes, nearly double what it was two decades ago.

Negative interest rates were seen as a way of temporarily boosting growth after the global financial crisis. However, the rates have persisted and, according to the latest Eurostat data, Sweden’s GDP per capita only grew at a meager 0.9 percent in 2017. Besides Luxembourg, this is the lowest rate in the EU.

There are many explanations for why Sweden’s economy is stagnating in a time when it should be growing. One is that the high taxes are undermining firms’ interest in expanding in Sweden. Other parts of Europe have significantly lower tax rates, lower wage levels, and are catching up in the knowledge-based economy. Tech-firms are drawn to central European cities such as Bucharest, Budapest, and Prague, where many young individuals graduate with skills in programming, engineering, and other desired areas of expertise—and are less expensive to employ. Consider, for example, that the Slovak capital region of Bratislava has already surpassed Stockholm in terms of its proportion of knowledge-economy jobs.

Another long-term challenge is that Sweden’s municipal finances are gradually failing. Internationally, Sweden is often seen as proof that a big welfare sector and high levels of taxation can be combined with a thriving economy. But the reality is not as encouraging.

Since 2002, a dozen studies have been written on the long-term survivability of the Swedish welfare state. In summary, they paint a bleak picture: The Swedish model is simply not sustainable. Sweden faces the same basic difficulties funding the welfare system as many other countries in Europe do. The problem has two roots. The first is an aging population and the second is the gradual buildup of inefficiencies in the public sector. In turn, welfare services become more expensive—and need to employ more people—each year. The Swedish model is simply not sustainable.

One recent paper pointed out that, between 2017 and 2025, all new jobs in Sweden will have to be created in the public sector if that sector is to keep up with demand and retain the same staffing practices. This is of course not feasible in a country with an already large public sector and high taxes, and it reflects the problem of gradually rising inefficiencies in the public domain relative to the private one.

Reinfeldt’s decision to allow for-profit companies to get involved in welfare provision was not only about increasing patient choice and competition, as one might expect from a right-leaning politician, but also a way for the Swedish welfare state to shift the burden of future investments in welfare to the private sector. While public-private partnerships helped, they have not solved the problem.

For example, the Swedish National Audit Office, a parliamentary control unit, published an alarming report in late 2017 after examining the government budget for 2018. According to the NAO, between 2020 and 2030, the municipal sector needs a budget hike of 200 billion Swedish krona ($22 billion) in order to keep functioning at its current level. The auditing office points out that the government itself made this calculation but hid it from the public. The long-term difficulty of funding the Swedish welfare model is well known, yet politicians are still uncomfortable owning up to the facts.

Sweden’s welfare problems affect people’s daily lives. Average earners in Sweden pay half their income in direct and indirect taxes. Yet, the famous Swedish welfare state is plagued by difficulties in accessing health care. Some individuals and companies are therefore turning toward private health insurance. At the end of 2017, 643,000 individuals in Sweden were fully covered by private health insurance. This is an increase of over half a million users compared to 2000. The public pension system has over time become less generous, which has pushed citizens to set up private pension funds through their employers or otherwise. Unemployment insurance has similarly become less generous, leading to the creation of complementary private insurances. At the end of 2017, 643,000 individuals in Sweden were fully covered by private health insurance.

International observers will largely point to voter dissatisfaction with immigration policies to explain the results of this week’s election, but Sweden’s sluggish economic growth rates and the gradual buildup of inefficiencies in the public sector also play an important role. The latter challenge, which will only become more pronounced if the economy faces another downturn, needs to be tackled through structural reforms.

In other words, Sweden’s generous welfare model is already a thing of the past, but the country still needs to keep reforming. Otherwise, the system will not be up to the challenge of integrating large immigrant groups, boosting growth, and stabilizing government finances.

Nima Sanandaji is the president of the European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform. He has written some 25 books on Swedish and international policy.
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https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/09/05/so-long-swedish-welfare-state/
 
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Have you noticed that the vast majority of his posts contain either I or me, he is just the smuggest, most hectoring, and sanctimonious poster on here.
Grind absolutely nailed him;
lmao pretty close. lets fill it in

"I am always [perplexed/confused/intrigued]



My theory is [something smug, dismissive, lazy and lacking nuance]


Of course, as we all know
[list a reason why I am better]
[optional conclusion that cypress thinks is witty]!"
 
I very much doubt that Crypiss has actually been to Sweden, especially Malmö, which has been turned into an Islamic shithole by incredibly stupid and naive Swedish liberals. It's now the bomb capital of Europe, and a gangster's paradise. Fortunate there is evidence that the Swedes are now woke and prepared to kick out stupid politicians.



The Swedes should evacuate all Swedes from Malmö, surround it with military, and deport the Muzzy population by the busload.
 
Hello cawacko,



I hear Bernie refer to a lot of other countries, drawing one good idea from here, another from there. Studying their results, their life expectancy, their access to health care, education, child care, employment, vacations, housing, retirement... All these things are solved on a mass scale. People don't even have to worry about them. They just live their lives and concentrate on doing a good job. Sure, they don't work as many hours per year as Americans do (hundreds less,) but they still have great lives, and who wouldn't like to have 12 weeks paid vacation every year? Now that sounds like a plan to get some work done and enjoy life too. No wonder they are happier than Americans. And no wonder Bernie is looking to them for ideas. Smart man.

Sounds like complacency to me. Personally I feel very fortunate that I live in a country where the degree of my success in life is dependent on my resourcefulness, ability, enterprise and industry. If I wanted to settle for avg. it wouldn't be hard either. I could do it with my eyes closed.
 
Hello anonymoose,



So, you don't believe the degree of success in life is dependent on resourcefulness and ability in Europe? Shall we check the metrics on that? I wonder if upward mobility is more pronounced in Europe or in the USA.

I'll just do a little research on that to learn the answer...

OK, done researching it.

Here is what I learned:

U.S. economic mobility is among the lowest of major industrialized economies.

We lag behind almost all of Europe in economic upward mobility.

Poli has to go back nearly 8 years to find what he wanted ffs!!
 
Hello anonymoose,



So, you don't believe the degree of success in life is dependent on resourcefulness and ability in Europe? Shall we check the metrics on that? I wonder if upward mobility is more pronounced in Europe or in the USA.

I'll just do a little research on that to learn the answer...

OK, done researching it.

Here is what I learned:

U.S. economic mobility is among the lowest of major industrialized economies.

We lag behind almost all of Europe in economic upward mobility.
From your link:
measures the relationship between earnings of fathers and sons in member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
That's all that measures. My stepson would've had no chance to become an FAA certified aircraft mechanic had he remained in Germany. I would have had zero chance to become a dentist there due to the fact I would not have qualified for gymnasium and therefore not for state paid for Universität due to my average standing in h.s.
Late bloomers are at severe disadvantages in that system. You have to have your act together at a young age to have the educational opportunity to advance.
So googling some obscure data on correlation between fathers' and sons' income is more of a cultural indication.
 
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Hello anonymoose,



I, me, my.

Basically, your argument is all about you. Sorry, but that doesn't carry much weight here.

I am thinking of what is best for the nation.

They in Europe work fewer hours per year, have longer vacations, no medical bankruptcies, and they live longer. They are happier.

It boils down to a comparison of one person's experience vs better results in multiple national metrics. They score better than we do.

I'm sure your life is very important to you. That is only logical. You like what is good for you. Most people do. That's only natural. But alone with concern for self, we also have to devote some concern for our nation.

The country is more important to me on this issue. I never became a dentist but I like my life just fine. I love my life. It is possible to love your life without being a dentist, you know. (I hope.)

Let us just logically analyze this.

I don't know you. I have no reason to value your experience over average national results.

I am going to have to favor what produces better results on average. I understand that won't be better in every individual case.

You sound like you're very satisfied with mediocrity. To each their own.
 
We have basically have seen the goal posts moved the point where conservatives have overtly admitted that Scandinavia is a pleasant place to live, that it has probably the most widely admired socio-economic system in human history, but we cannot emulate that model here because to do so would be to admit that liberals, progressives, and social democrats were right all along.

It seems like only yesterday conservatives were calling western Europe socialist hellholes!

Leading Republicans refer to western Europeans as "socialists" >> https://www.justplainpolitics.com/s...-SOCIALISM-IN-VENEZUELA&p=2926319#post2926319

Why don't you immigrate there? It's possible.
 
Hello anonymoose,



It is best here for those who were born into big money.

It is not better here for one who is willing to work very hard, but lacks the credentials to get a well-paying job. Many very hard working Americans can't afford the basics. These hard working Americans, who often work very long hours at low paying jobs, with no benefits, WISH they had life as good as people in Europe.

Somehow you think it selfish of my stepson to have bettered himself, studying hard in aircraft mechanic school and getting FAA certified after having little interest in school at a young age.
Somehow you think it selfish of me to have buckled down, studied very, very hard through undergrad and grad school, then used my hard earned education to start a business, employ folks, pay payroll taxes and earn an above avg. living. Neither of these things would've been possible in your utopia socialist system because neither of us would've qualified in Germany.
OK
 
I am curious, though, what gymnastics has to do with becoming a dentist.

I didn't get that one. Some weird requirement there?
German word pronounced g (as in 'get')em-nah-zee-um. A higher level of German high school where only the most qualified are accepted. Almost impossible to gain acceptance into German university without first completing gymnasium and doing well. Impossible to become a zahnartzt without first completing gymnasium.
I'd probably be a cashier in Germany based on my grades from the 8th grade. Nice system but apparently what you prefer.
The system is similar in Ireland. I suspect it's similar in your other utopian European countries.
 
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German word pronounced g (as in 'get')em-nah-zee-um. A higher level of German high school where only the most qualified are accepted. Almost impossible to gain acceptance into German university without first completing gymnasium and doing well. Impossible to become a zahnartzt without first completing gymnasium.
I'd probably be a cashier in Germany based on my grades from the 8th grade. Nice system but apparently what you prefer.
The system is similar in Ireland. I suspect it's similar in your other utopian European countries.

She's a truly ignorant peasant, doesn't even know what a Gynasium is ffs, why am I not surprised?
 
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