this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2024
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This why the right conflates socialism with communism, because they don't want to acknowledge that northern Europe is absolutely crushing it in both wealth and services.
I wish we made decisions based on happiness levels rather than GDP.
These countries are obviously doing something right and the rest of the world should take notes from them: https://worldhappiness.report/news/happiest-countries-prove-resilient-despite-overlapping-crises/
What they're doing right is a mixture of rather progressive social policy (in the process of being abandoned in favour of the extreme right), and exploitation of poorer countries through unequal exchange. It's high-school level knowledge of colonialism: import raw materials and agricultural produce from poor countries at low prices, export high-added-value goods and services at a high cost. If every country were to adopt that model, it wouldn't work because there'd be nobody to exploit. I suggest you read into the concept of unequal exchange
I cannot believe this report, because Bhutan isn't on top.
No country in Europe is even close to the original definition of socialism. Having public health care is not socialism.
Northern Europe also depends heavily on Unequal Exchange, and has seen sliding safety nets. They are happiest because they are generally the wealthiest, and that wealth must be seen in the international context, as they do not practice Autarky.