Overview

Democratic governments exist to serve their citizens. The well-being of their people should be the basis for their agendas, policies, and actions. Year after year the world's ""happiest"" people are Nordic. They live in social democracies, mixing capitalist and socialist policies. This book compares the main social benefits offered cradle to grave by Norway, paid for by taxes, to the American equivalents, both the facts and anecdotal experiences. This includes the provision and costs of parental leave, daycare, healthcare, higher education, pensions, and elderly care. The results show that Americans pay dramatically higher out-of-pocket costs over their lifetimes than Norwegians. American earnings would have to be much higher to justify these differences. Yet the facts do not support this - median salaries and take-home pay are about the same, government spending per capita too. For Americans, this book aims to shed light on the risks they are compelled to take and the costs they bear under current public policies. For others, the hope is that these insights reveal both opportunities and potential pitfalls that can inform the development of their own societies. If social welfare policies result in greater happiness, then every democratic government has an obligation to pursue and implement them.

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