The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
In 1934, laws were strengthened so that women deemed “inferior” were sterilized against their will, along with male juvenile delinquents.
Michael Booth • The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
When asked in a survey a few years ago to select eight adjectives to describe themselves, the Finns chose: honest, slow, reliable, true, shy, direct, reserved, and punctual.
Michael Booth • The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
Improbably, considering his background, it is thanks to Gini that we have what many believe is the single most revealing piece of evidence—statistical or otherwise—for the root cause of Nordic exceptionalism, not to mention the most helpful guide to answering the ultimate secular question of our age: how to be happy. This is the Gini Coefficient, a
... See moreMichael Booth • The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
I am here because, according to some, the Vikings are the best bet as to the source of the Danes’ remarkable egalitarianism.
Michael Booth • The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
This country of little more than five million people now has the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world. And I don’t mean per capita—we are talking in absolutes. It overtook Abu Dhabi’s when it hit $600 billion in 2011, and continues to rise. The fund currently stands at $617 billion, and is conservatively estimated to pass $1,600 billion
... See moreMichael Booth • The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
As we have seen, in some senses Finns are almost über-Scandinavians, with their high-context homogeneity, reticence, openness, and trustworthiness, their welfare state, and fondness for booze and salty licorice.
Michael Booth • The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
All of the Nordic countries have high levels of trust, but the Danes are the most trusting people on the planet.
Michael Booth • The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
In contrast, the Danes are arguably the most sociable people on earth. According to the Danish think tank Mandag Morgen, they belong to more associations, clubs, unions, societies, and groups, and have larger social networks, than any other nationality—
Michael Booth • The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
The boldest of Sweden’s recent social experiments has been in the field of multiculturalism. Over the last forty years Scandinavia’s largest country has welcomed more immigrants than any other European land. Today, almost 15 percent of the Swedish population was born outside of Sweden (compared with just over 6 percent in Denmark, the next largest
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