Comparing US and Scandinavian Economic Policies

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/01/25/Strengthening_the_Middle_Class_Pt__1

Economist, author and commentator Robert Kuttner contrasts U.S. economic policies with those found in most Scandinavian countries.

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Urban Conversations Conference: Strengthening the Middle Class with opening remarks from Congressman Jerry Nadler and featuring speaker Robert Kuttner.

As income disparities between wealthy and working-class families become more pronounced, middle-class neighborhoods are disappearing from many American cities. How are leaders working to make their cities livable for middle-income families and affordable for the millions aspiring to gain a foothold in the middle class?

Urban Conversations brings together elected officials and leading thinkers from across the nation to foster fresh perspectives and new insights into the key challenges facing urban America and to discuss strategies for addressing them. - The New School

Robert Kuttner is co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect. He writes regularly for the magazine on political and economic issues. He has just completed a book, to be published in 2007, on the connection between political and economic inequality and systemic risks facing the economy. He is pursuing these issues as a distinguished senior fellow at Demos.

Kuttner is the author of six previous books: Everything for Sale: The Virtues and Limits of Markets (1997); The End of Laissez-Faire (1991); The Life of the Party (1987); The Economic Illusion (1984); Revolt of the Haves (1980); and Family Re-union (2002), co-authored with his late wife, Sharland Trotter. His syndicated weekly editorial column originates in The Boston Globe and appears Mondays on the Prospect website.

He is also one of five co-founders of the Economic Policy Institute, and currently serves on its board of directors.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• middle
• class
• economics
• economy
• recession
• denmark
• sweden
• socialist
• green
• laws
• americans
• income
• distribution
• taxes
• wealth
• fora.tv
• foratv
• fora
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[PlatinumBreakdown]

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden - the best place in the world. :3

[infokemp]

Scandinavia model kicks ass - bring it to the whole of EU and England please!

[SaunaFinland]

@dehoogn

So you dont care if your life sucks as long as you got money. Money! Money! Money! Hahahaha! Money! Money!

[pharyngealized]

@dehoogn "outrageous tax rates" are what makes a better quality of life for the citizens.

[dehoogn]

He doesn't mention the outrageous tax rates in these Nordic countries

[scholion]

America and Southern Europe is in a terrible state today in terms of:

- Government

- Business life and economic growth

- Education.

It's like decision makers in these parts of the World are either too daft or too stubborn to learn from countries performing much better.

[JackofOneTrade567]

If you're interested in actually informing yourself:

/watch?v=jvH4YlpCGSo

[JackofOneTrade567]

@Dovenpeis Rofl.

[Dovenpeis]

@JackofOneTrade567

Sure, and the recent industrial crisis started with William the Conqueror, while Trofim Lysenko ideologically triumphed over science.

It never seizes to amaze me how similar Marxists and Libertarians are, both in their ideological fanaticism and their complete detachment from reality.

[JackofOneTrade567]

@Dovenpeis The world experienced the economic boom of the 20th century because of the freedom of the 19th century. And look at all the good that came out of that economic boom, but then govt started to get larger and consolidate the wealth in the hands of the few. Economic freedom doesn't cause social problems, poverty/inequality does. What economic freedom does create is prosperity and reduces inequality.

The recent banking crisis started 150 years ago when govt started to regulate banks.