The Mirage of Swedish Socialism

by Johan Norberg

Much of what the outside world thinks it knows about the Swedish model is wrong. When American politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez are asked to name an example of a successful socialist economy, they often point to Sweden.

But Sweden only began to experiment with socialist ideas after it was already one of the world’s most successful societies. Its success was based on a free market model developed after an episode of radical liberalization between 1840 and 1870 and the rapid growth it unleashed. As early as 1950 Sweden was the fourth richest economy in the world, and it was also one of the freest, with public spending below 20 percent of GDP. Government was smaller than in other Western European countries and taxes were slightly lower than in the United States.

Only in the 1970s and 1980s did Sweden expand government dramatically with more spending, taxation, and regulation. It is reasonable to say that during this time Sweden was moving towards socialism. But that was an aberration in Sweden’s history, an aberration that was not associated with success. On the contrary, this was the one period in modern economic history when Sweden lagged behind other industrialized countries.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

97 pages, ebook

First published August 1, 2023

Reviews

[mark propp · Rating 5 out of 5]

terrific summary of sweden's economic history. took me about 3 hours to read, and i'm a fairly slow reader. nothing complicated, no high level math or stats, just a straightforward description of sweden's trajectory over the decades.

it's a very good response to all those annoying lefties who will always say 'if only the us was more like sweden we'd fix all our problems.'

in lots of ways, i wish the us & canada were more like sweden. you actually pay for your own retirement. there's a reasonably strong approximation of school choice. i'm not wild about their high levels of taxation & free post-secondary education, but in lots of ways i do wish were more like them.

anyway, this is an e-book published by the fraser institute, and it's freely available. link below if anyone sees this and wants to have a go at it.

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites...

[Garrick Andres · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my third book in the series, and like the others, it offers a highly didactic yet concise exploration of key topics. Despite its brevity, it is rich in insight and presents a clear, rational, and compelling case for anyone looking to understand the flaws of socialism, political economy, libertarianism, and public policy. It also effectively debunks widely accepted myths about the Swedish welfare state and socialism while showcasing why libertarian government policies work.