The Nordic Theory of Everything - The Library of the Uncommons

Paperback, 448 pages

Published June 27, 2017 by Harper Paperbacks.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-231655-4

(1 review)

A Finnish journalist and naturalized American citizen compares and contrasts life in the U.S. with life in the Nordic region to encourage Americans to draw on practices from the Nordic way of life to create a fairer, happier, more secure, and less stressful society.

At a 2012 conference on social mobility, where experts discussed whether people worldwide were attaining a better life than their parents', Ed Miliband, the leader of the British Labour Party, made a surprising quip: "If you want the American dream, go to Finland." For decades, the country best known for opportunity had been the United States. No longer, said Miliband. Anu Partanen, however, had recently left Finland and moved to America for the love of her life, a man who would ultimately become her husband. Their relationship flourished, but she found that navigating the basics of everyday life--from health insurance and taxes to education and child …

A Finnish journalist and naturalized American citizen compares and contrasts life in the U.S. with life in the Nordic region to encourage Americans to draw on practices from the Nordic way of life to create a fairer, happier, more secure, and less stressful society.

At a 2012 conference on social mobility, where experts discussed whether people worldwide were attaining a better life than their parents', Ed Miliband, the leader of the British Labour Party, made a surprising quip: "If you want the American dream, go to Finland." For decades, the country best known for opportunity had been the United States. No longer, said Miliband. Anu Partanen, however, had recently left Finland and moved to America for the love of her life, a man who would ultimately become her husband. Their relationship flourished, but she found that navigating the basics of everyday life--from health insurance and taxes to education and child care--was much more complicated and stressful than in her homeland. At first she attributed her crippling anxiety to the difficulty of adapting to a freewheeling new culture. But as she got to know Americans better, she discovered that they shared her deep apprehensions. To understand why life in Finland is so drastically different from the way things are in the United States, Partanen began to look closely at both countries. In The Nordic Theory of Everything, Partanen compares living in the United States with life in the Nordic region, focusing on four key relationships--parents and children, men and women, employees and employers, and government and citizens. She debunks criticism that Nordic countries are socialist "nanny states," revealing instead that it is we Americans who are far more enmeshed in unhealthy dependencies than we realize. Step by step, Partanen explains how the Nordic approach allows citizens to enjoy more individual freedom and equality than we do. She wants to open Americans' eyes to how much better things can be--to show her beloved new country what it can learn from her homeland to reinvigorate and fulfill the promise of the American dream. Offering insights, advice, and solutions, The Nordic Theory of Everything makes a convincing argument that we can rebuild our society, rekindle our optimism, and restore independence to our relationships and lives. --Adapted from dust jacket.

4 editions

Matthew Royal reviewed Nordic Theory of Everything by Anu Partanen

Review of 'Nordic Theory of Everything' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Partanen expands the idea of freedom to include a freedom from employers -- she advocates that the state should be responsible to ensure that every child has equal access to quality education and healthcare, despite the resources of their parents.

She makes intriguing rebuttals against the argument that this makes "Nordic" countries into socialist nanny states that will inevitably lead to a Soviet-style regime. Finland, as a neighbor of Russia, has a long history of fighting them as invaders and rejecting their totalitarian policies. She says it's the "Nordic theory of love" that desires to make each individual self-sufficient that drives the Finnish policies of state-provided healthcare and education. Her comparison of the amount of taxation and common financial health metrics like debt as % of GDP to US analogues show that in many cases, Finland spends less than and is less intrusive into individuals' lives than the US, while …

Partanen expands the idea of freedom to include a freedom from employers -- she advocates that the state should be responsible to ensure that every child has equal access to quality education and healthcare, despite the resources of their parents.

She makes intriguing rebuttals against the argument that this makes "Nordic" countries into socialist nanny states that will inevitably lead to a Soviet-style regime. Finland, as a neighbor of Russia, has a long history of fighting them as invaders and rejecting their totalitarian policies. She says it's the "Nordic theory of love" that desires to make each individual self-sufficient that drives the Finnish policies of state-provided healthcare and education. Her comparison of the amount of taxation and common financial health metrics like debt as % of GDP to US analogues show that in many cases, Finland spends less than and is less intrusive into individuals' lives than the US, while helping ensure better outcomes by leveling the starting point in life for each individual.

This would be a great book for a discussion group to pair with John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty," or similar. Good food for thought about what "freedom," "security," "pursuit of happiness," and "quality of life" mean.