ADVERTISEMENT

THE END OF THE SCANDINAVIAN DREAM?

m.knox

Well-Known Member
Gold Member
Aug 20, 2003
127,423
86,606
1
It cut and paste that way.....

Trouble in socialist paradise? Oh my! Shall we rant that social democracy is failing? Statist central planning is failing?

http://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/the-end-of-the-scandinavian-dream/60853

The tableau of want has become common enough in vast swaths of the postrecession West: An unwashed teenager lies on the steps of a church, sleeping. A woman nearby beseeches passersby for a few coins. Across the street, a clutch of homeless men are yelling at one another, looking combustible enough that well-to-do families quicken their pace as they walk by.

It just wasn’t supposed to happen here in Denmark, the world’s favorite socialist utopia.

Long a beacon for lefties around the globe, Denmark is losing its egalitarian luster. Poverty rates have doubled over the past decade, and inequality is on the rise: Since 2013, the wealthiest Danes have become 30 percent richer, and the poorest, 10 percent poorer, according to the OECD. Perhaps more remarkable? The Danish people, whose country tends to score top rankings on quality of life, are copacetic about it. In fact, with GDP growth stagnant or worse in recent years, there’s a growing acceptance among Danes of inequality as a necessary evil, says Kristian Weise, whose think tank, Cevea, recently published an exhaustive study on national inequality. The growing gap between rich and poor is not a fluke, he says, but “a matter of policy-making.”
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Go Big.
Get Premium.

Join Rivals to access this premium section.

  • Say your piece in exclusive fan communities.
  • Unlock Premium news from the largest network of experts.
  • Dominate with stats, athlete data, Rivals250 rankings, and more.
Log in or subscribe today Go Back