"The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life" by Anu Partanen

This non-fiction title caught my eye as soon as I saw the cover. I have always thought of Scandinavian countries as places that naturally moved beyond capitalism in the American sense of the word and have successfully implemented social protection policies. Anu Partanen is originally from Finland but is now an American. She’s had the opportunity to observe both systems first-hand. In Finland, as in other Scandinavian countries, people enjoy free public education from early childhood daycare through university, generous maternity/paternity leave policies, long vacations, free health care, guaranteed pensions, and other benefits. All of them I must say are financed through taxes and are run by the government.

To an outsider, like myself, living in the United States, this resembles socialism, or at the very least some sort of wealth distribution system. I am also very skeptical of a government agency’s ability to run anything efficiently (just think of your most recent visit to a local DMV). However, I do see problems with the US system, and Ms. Partanen does a great job pointing them out. I agree that sky rocketing health care costs and the absence of any kind of social net for young parents or the elderly who need end of life care make the United States look like the Wild West compared to the structured and generous social policies of some other developed nations such as Finland. So I read this book in the hopes of glimpsing some way that the US could move forward in both preserving the healthy competition of the market place while also making life for its citizens a little better protected by creating a reliable social net that could help them bounce back after childbirth, or a serious illness, help them get old gracefully, and ensure that youth has adequate access to education.

Unfortunately, this little book, as one would guess, does not provide solutions to these complex issues that scholars, politicians and social policy experts have been debating for decades. What Partanen does well in her book is describing the social protection benefits available to all in Finland and pointing out where the US falls short in corresponding areas. It is by no means an in-depth analysis of both systems. You will also not find any recommendations for how the US could, for instance, provide maternity leave to all. Partanen simply states that other developed countries do it, why can’t the US. What she does not go into is what practical steps the US could take towards implementing such a huge in scope social protection policy change. Finland is a lot different from the US in terms of population size, economy, geo-politics, etc. So what works in Finland might not be necessarily transferrable to the US. She cites sweeping policy changes that were implemented in Finland shortly after World War II. Such drastic revamping would not be easy in this country.

To sum up, it was good to get an overview of the advantages that citizens of Scandinavian countries enjoy. But I did feel that the author was bashing the US too harshly. I was also getting tired of seeing the author overuse the phrase “the Nordic theory of love.” I think we all would like to live in a better world free of disease and hunger, and it is always healthy for any country to aspire to a better quality of life for its citizens. Partanen’s book does just that – paints an image of what the US could aspire to or set up as a goal. She does not however have any suggestions to how to get there. And that is the crux of the issue. 4 out of 5 stars.