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Debunking Utopia: Exposing the Myth of Nordic Socialism Paperback – August 16, 2016

by Nima Sanandaji (Author)

265

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Left-leaning academics, liberal pop stars such as Bruce Springsteen, and Democrat politicians from Bernie Sanders to Bill and Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama all have one thing in common: they are avid admirers of Nordic-style social democracy. The reason is simple. At first glance, Nordic countries seem to have everything liberals want to see in America: equal income distribution, good health, low levels of poverty, and thriving economies, all co-existing with big welfare states. By copying Nordic policies, many in the American left hope to transform America to a similar socialist "utopia."

In Debunking Utopia, Swedish author Nima Sanandaji explains why this is all wishful thinking. Certainly, some aspects of Nordic welfare states, such as childcare provision, merit the admiration of liberals. But overall, it is a unique culture based on hard work, healthy diets, social cohesion and high levels of trust that have made Nordic countries successful. Sanandaji explains how the Nordic people adopted this culture of success in order to survive in the unforgiving Scandinavian climate. He systematically proves that the high levels of income equality, high lifespans and other signs of social success in the Nordics all predate the expansion of the welfare state. If anything, the Nordic countries reached their peak during the mid-twentieth century, when they had low taxes and small welfare states. Perhaps most astonishing are his findings that Nordic-Americans consistently outperform their cousins who live across the ocean. People of Nordic descent who live under the American capitalist system not only enjoy higher levels of income, but also a lower level of poverty than the citizens of the Nordic countries themselves.

Sanandaji's previous writings on the roots of Nordic success have gained media attention around the world and been translated into many languages. Debunking Utopia, which expands on this work, should be read by all—liberals and conservatives alike—who follow the debate over the future of American welfare. As Sanandaji shows, there is much Americans can learn from both the successes and failures of Nordic-style social democracy.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

WND Books
Publication date

August 16, 2016
Dimensions

5.7 x 0.7 x 8.6 inches
ISBN-10

1944229396
ISBN-13

978-1944229399
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Michael Booth
2,429
Paperback
86 offers from $1.85
Nima Sanandaji
73
Paperback
31 offers from $8.26

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Nima Sanandaji is an author and researcher of Kurdish-Iranian origin who migrated to Sweden as a child. He grew up with welfare support and personally experienced how the welfare state with one hand gave the less well-off opportunities to climb the social ladder, while with the other hand unintentionally trapped them in welfare dependency. He has previously written twenty books, some of which have received international acclaim. Sanandaji is the president of the think tank European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ WND Books (August 16, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1944229396
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1944229399
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 0.7 x 8.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,044,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #573 in Fascism (Books)
- #1,746 in European Politics Books
- #3,002 in Political Philosophy (Books)

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4.7 out of 5

265 global ratings

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Dabu

Far right drivel

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2023

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If you can get past the first page you've either already recognized the author's extreme bias or are drinking the far-right Kool-Aid. The author is not entirely wrong about the idealism of the left but promotes a savage conservatism. There has to be a middle way, no? Are there no pragmatic leaders with compassion? Didn't George Bush Jr give lip service to "compassionate conservatism"? Does it exist?

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Orson Scott Card

It's the Nordic countries' culture, not socialism, that makes them such a fair, equal, and happy place

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016

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Written by a longtime dweller in the Nordic countries, this book points out that it isn't socialism that makes Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland so idyllic - it's the culture that was already there, and which makes socialism work better than it does anywhere else. Looking at the facts proves that if you want Nordic results, socialism isn't the way to get it - in fact, socialism imposes burdens that harmed the people and the economy, and many of the highest taxes and most socialistic practices have been repealed or scaled back to something more bearable. Because of a culture of great trust among neighbors, the people tolerate a tax burden that other countries are unlikely to bear. And yet, the author, like me, believes that the aspirations and goals of Nordic socialism were worthy, and the good news is that we can learn from the Nordics ways to transform our culture to be more fair and just without killing the goose that lays the golden eggs: hardworking people in a mostly-free economy.

4 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Good book, strong arguments but a little repetitive

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2016

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This book does a great job of pointing out the differences between cultures and the expected results of "Nordic Socialism" when applied to cultures outside of the Nordic region. Why would the outcomes if applied in the USA, not be more like the outcomes in Italy, Greece, Spain, Venezuela....instead of thinking the USA would be more like the Nordic system when in fact we have little in cultural similarity? Southern Europe has applied the same general Socialist practices with very different outcomes.
His comparisons of the Nordic nations before official government social policies were enacted is what I found most compelling in his argument that this is a cultural driven outcome based on trust and hard work and the expectation that individuals do not take from the system unless they absolutely have to. I have an employee from Norway and he has often explained to me that almost everyone he knows would be ashamed to take from the system for selfish reasons and in fact they would be turned into authorities by fellow citizens if they did. He said since there has been more and more people are emigrating from other nations to Norway that there has been more and more pressure on the social system precisely because they do not share the same culture of hard work and moral beliefs.
Personally I worry any time there is an us versus them in any culture because it can lead to hate and nationalism. My personal problem with Socialism is that dependency on government for your economic, social and physical health and outcomes mean that the government has a great deal of power over its citizens to use as a tool of coercion. It always looks good when the "good guys" are in power but what happens when the next Hitler, Mussolini, etc come to power and decides that if you want healthcare, welfare and social services and social status you better do what they tell you to do? Do not think it cannot happen here in the USA. We just elected Trump and he seems to share some of the same populist nationalistic ideals that lead to Fascism in Europe and Japan that were otherwise generally well educated and peaceful societies. If it can happen to them it can happen to us, That is why I feel we would benefit from more Libertarian ideals and not the intrusive ideals of the left or the right.

7 people found this helpful

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Pviv66

excellent

Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2022

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very skillful presentations of facts and trends in Scandinavian Countries. thank you

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2022

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Short and to the point yet throughly explains all the misnomers associated with the Nordic governments and economies. Read it.

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Raymond Perez

Fantastic read, very educational

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2020

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I work in politics and this book is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to learn about the affects of democratic socialism. Dr.S does a fantastic job citing sources and making policy relatable to the common person. This was a very easy read, I even took notes through out the book. I’m going to buy this as a gift for family and friends.

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Charlie

Provides a compelling view different from the standard banal narrative

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2017

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This is a trenchant analysis of a popular topic in politics. When debating liberals, it is a surety that Sweden and its universal greatness will come up in the discussion. Mr Sanandaji does an excellent job of dissecting the various issues and offering a different view than the standard one, which states the more government, the better. The author carefully shows these countries' success is more likely due to cultural influences than simply larger government, and consequently demonstrates the potential disastrous results of adopting similar methods in a vastly different culture.

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Ostap Orobets

"Devil is in a details"!

Reviewed in Canada on February 1, 2022

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"Scandinavian approach" is not exactly what is being pictured in North American media.
More important, why it won't work here!

Mr. P. Waller

Very well written and balanced insight into Nordic policies, culture, economy and perceived utopia

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2018

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. What I like most about it is that it is written from a view point by a migrant to Sweden from iran and not by what some may consider an author with a more right wing bent on politics (not that I currently know of Dr Sanandaji's political slant). The book details not only that culture and homogeneity as much as anything plays a huge part in how policies are determined, I.e. that people from Nordic countries have high trust levels for each other and that hard work and determination leads more to success than a reliance on tge social welfare system, which as the author explains, can trap people in welfare dependency. The author also debunks the myth around women in the workplace and the supposedly egalitarian view that nordic women in industry are in possession of the same levers of power as men.
It goes on to mention Nordic migrants to the United States and details their economic,welfare and wellbeing outcomes and that they are actually higher than those from the Nordic countries, pointing to the fact that actually a free market and smaller government inherently leads to better outcomes. Immigration is looked at and goes onto expose issues around assimilation, culture and the ability to achieve work which pays well enough without top ups from the state. It also shows that as the immigration has ramped up in Sweden, certain sections of the country have been ghettoized and high levels of crime reported. The book also backs up it's claims by providing links to the data. I would like to add that you can see both Dr Sanandaji and his brother on youtube debating these very topics on certain vloggers sites, I.e. the Rubin report. Highly, highly recommended.

Samuel

Good, relatively short read

Reviewed in Australia on April 22, 2019

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Really good info from somebody who doesn't appear to want to take partisan positions.

Vangel Vesovski

Destroying Economic Myths...

Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2018

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Great book that deals with the mythology of the Nordic success. Sanandaji uses facts and logic to debunk the idea that a controlled economy is better than a free one. He points out that what made Nordic economies wealthy was capitalism and what is causing their decline is economic interference by governments and transfer programs that punish the most productive while encouraging inactivity. The book was much needed in an era where economically ignorant politicians are encouraged by the media while voices of sanity are ignored or ridiculed.

mtp570

The Scandinavian socialism myth debunked

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2017

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This book is a concise and high-level destruction of the myth of Scandinavian socialism which is often held up as an example of a successful socialist system. Sanandaji, a Kurd who emigrated to Sweden as a child, examines the Scandinavian model and skillfully compares it to both the United States and the Nordic countries before they increased the size of the state and welfare.

Sanandaji demonstrates that the socialist policies which hit their stride through the Seventies and Eighties largely failed and the Nordic countries have in the period since the early nineties gone to great lengths to reverse them and re-introduce free market principles, privatisation and reduced welfare. Furthermore, the lack of a complete collapse of the economic system that so often accompanies socialism is largely down to the Nordic culture of hard work and individual responsibility.

With the rise of Jeremy Corbyn in the UK there's a very real possibility that at the same time that the Scandinavian countries move further away from socialism, we will be moving towards it. The author puts forward a very strong case that the Nordic model would not transfer at all well to the Angosphere and that the existing North American free market model is already superior in most respects.

This book is not only an excellent examination of the myth of Scandinavian socialism but it is also a very good critique of socialism in general and comes highly recommended.

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Debunking Utopia: Exposing the Myth of Nordic Socialism Paperback – August 16, 2016

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