[MCN] Excerpt from a much longer, extensive review : The Nordic Model is Not A Socialist Model, It is Capitalist

[Lance Olsen]

The Nordic Model is Not A Socialist Model, It is Capitalist

By Freedom Preetham <https://medium.com/@freedom2?source=post_page-----bbe828d17a8a-------------------------------->
The Nordic countries — Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland — are frequently cited in discussions on socialism, but this representation is a significant misinterpretation of their actual economic and social systems. This extensive exploration aims to dissect the Nordic model in-depth, revealing its capitalist core, sophisticated use of tax revenues, and the nuanced reasons behind its common mislabeling as socialism.

Repeatedly, the leaders of Nordic nations have declared their commitment to capitalism and a free-market economy, distancing themselves from socialism. Despite these clear statements, there continues to be a recurring trend where individuals incorrectly label these countries as examples of socialist models. This persistent mislabeling overlooks the explicit economic stances these countries have taken, leading to a distorted understanding of their actual economic systems.

In contemporary discourse, the terms ‘social welfare’ and ‘socialism’ are often intermingled, leading to a pervasive misunderstanding of their distinct natures. I want to delineate these concepts with precision, underpinning the argument with factual and theoretical evidence.

Social welfare refers to a system where the government undertakes the responsibility to provide certain basic services and support to its citizens. This includes initiatives like healthcare, education, unemployment benefits, and public housing. The primary objective of social welfare is to enhance the living standards of individuals, particularly those in need, thereby ensuring a baseline of equality in access to essential services.

On the other hand, socialism is an economic and political ideology that advocates for the ownership and regulation of the means of production by the community as a whole. In its purest form, socialism seeks to redistribute wealth more equally among the population, often through more radical means than social welfare policies. The focus of socialism extends beyond providing basic services to a complete restructuring of the economic system to eliminate private ownership of capital.

The crucial distinction lies in the approach and scope. Social welfare does not necessitate a fundamental change in economic structures or the abolition of private property. Instead, it operates within the existing capitalist framework, using mechanisms like taxation to fund services and benefits. Socialism, conversely, involves a comprehensive overhaul of the economic system towards collective ownership.

Understanding this distinction is vital for informed discourse on public policy. While social welfare seeks to mitigate the inequalities inherent in a capitalist system, socialism proposes a different economic system altogether. Misconstruing these concepts not only leads to semantic confusion but also hinders constructive policy discussions.

https://medium.com/the-simulacrum/the-nordic-model-is-not-a-socialist-model-it-is-capitalist-bbe828d17a8a <https://medium.com/the-simulacrum/the-nordic-model-is-not-a-socialist-model-it-is-capitalist-bbe828d17a8a>

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A core question: What is “resilience”?

2018 — “Resilience is a popular narrative for conservation and provides an opportunity to communicate optimism that ecosystems can recover and rebound from disturbances.” (Emily S. Darling and Isabelle M. Côté, Science, March 2, 2018). 

2014 — “Emerging from a wide range of disciplines, resilience in policy-making has often been based on the ability of systems to bounce back to normality, drawing on engineering concepts. This implies the return of the functions of an individual, household, community or ecosystem to previous conditions, with as little damage and disruption as possible following shocks and stresses”  (Tanner et al, Nature Climate Change,  December 18, 2014). 

1938 — Resilience. 1- The act or power of springing back to a former position or shape. 2. The quantity of work given back by a body that is compressed to a certain limit and then allowed to recover itself, as a spring under pressure suddenly relaxed.”  (Funk & Wagnall’s New Standard Dictionary of the English Language, vol.2, M-Z 1938

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