Non-Coercive or Voluntary Societies
This page is the result of a mind-blowing class I took under Prof. Ron Howard (Dept of MS&E, Stanford University) on "Designing a Free Society." We are unbelievably entrenched in coercive structures than we would like to know. This page is an attempt to look at current events with a different lens, that of a non-coercive, voluntary society, that lives on the maxim, "Peaceful, honest people have the right to be left alone."
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
The Myth of the Scandinavian Model
In most discussions on the appropriate level of coercion of government, proponents of socialism bring up Scandinavia. I recently read a hard-hitting analysis that shows how the Scandinavian economy has tanked with its welfare programs, while underdog Ireland has leaped forward in Europe with its drastic reduction of taxes. Ireland's target of taxation is also very interesting, and could serve as a model for other countries that are trying to move on from a socialist mindset.
Here's an excerpt from the analysis:
However, despite Bruegel, distorted academic studies and the European media’s praise, the efficiency of the major Scandinavian economies is a myth. The Swedish and Finnish welfare states have been going through a long period of decline. In the early 1990s they were virtually bankrupt. Between 1990 and 1995 unemployment increased five-fold. The Scandinavian countries have not been able to recover.
Read the rest of the article, The Myth of the Scandinavian Model, The Brussels Journal.
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