The
Nordic welfare states were for decades considered role models; they
were supposedly the proof that a highly developed welfare state could coexist
successfully with an economically free society. Indeed, the Nordic
countries, especially Sweden and to some extent Denmark, were
recognized for pushing the welfare state further than other
countries, for having developed social-democratic “universal”
welfare states, and at the same time managing competitive economies
with high rates of growth.[1] Though there is some truth to these perceptions, they require some important amendments that might somewhat
tarnish this rosy view.
