Notes from Abroad
Practical Socialism
Sunday, October 25, 2009
By Corey Kapolka
GVL Study Abroad Columnist
I recently had an interesting conversation in one of the student pubs on campus with a German classmate regarding social theories.
There’s a particular egalitarian idea that I found interesting to discuss which stems from utopian ideals; citizens of a given society should strive towards a common goal of social harmony and act accordingly.
Essentially, just do what’s best for the good of all. A basic concept, most people would probably agree with it, but it’s sometimes sadly absent from our actions. As we talked, I concluded this was an ideal that could be found running thick through the veins of the Norwegian social structure.
There’s a strange duality in Norway between personal sociableness and public social issues. Norwegians in general are very quiet and aren’t very sociable without a few drinks in them, but they support massive social programs through high taxation.
I can only imagine the uproar even the suggestion of imposing a 28 percent sales tax in the States would bring, but that’s what we pay here on everything but food products. (Then it’s merely 14 percent.)
Yet I haven’t heard many complaints. I’ve, in fact, met many strong supporters of the system. Norway established the underpinnings of its social democracy long ago, so its citizens understand the benefits of having large social programs.
It’s because of that understanding that the social systems work; it all relies on the adherence to their common goal of an egalitarian society, because a public backlash against the system could change things in a flash.
With such high taxes, Norway is quite an expensive place to live. Oslo is, in fact, the most expensive city to live in on Earth, so why are people content to lose so much money to taxation?
I, for one, don’t think they’re losing anything. The benefits created by public funding are incredibly valuable, more valuable to individuals than the money they contribute.
It’s astounding what benefits people receive here, from extended paid maternity leave to free higher education and excellent public transportation.
It should be noted, however, that Norway’s economy is suffused with oil exports from their lucrative reserves along the coast. I’ve heard all kinds of arguments over whether or not it’s the oil that makes Norway, and Oslo in particular, a nice place to live, and there’s no ignoring the fact that a strong export market does contribute to Norway’s impressive GDP per capita. The perpetual question on everyone’s minds is what Norway will do once the oil runs out.
GVL Study Abroad Columnist
I recently had an interesting conversation in one of the student pubs on campus with a German classmate regarding social theories.
There’s a particular egalitarian idea that I found interesting to discuss which stems from utopian ideals; citizens of a given society should strive towards a common goal of social harmony and act accordingly.
Essentially, just do what’s best for the good of all. A basic concept, most people would probably agree with it, but it’s sometimes sadly absent from our actions. As we talked, I concluded this was an ideal that could be found running thick through the veins of the Norwegian social structure.
There’s a strange duality in Norway between personal sociableness and public social issues. Norwegians in general are very quiet and aren’t very sociable without a few drinks in them, but they support massive social programs through high taxation.
I can only imagine the uproar even the suggestion of imposing a 28 percent sales tax in the States would bring, but that’s what we pay here on everything but food products. (Then it’s merely 14 percent.)
Yet I haven’t heard many complaints. I’ve, in fact, met many strong supporters of the system. Norway established the underpinnings of its social democracy long ago, so its citizens understand the benefits of having large social programs.
It’s because of that understanding that the social systems work; it all relies on the adherence to their common goal of an egalitarian society, because a public backlash against the system could change things in a flash.
With such high taxes, Norway is quite an expensive place to live. Oslo is, in fact, the most expensive city to live in on Earth, so why are people content to lose so much money to taxation?
I, for one, don’t think they’re losing anything. The benefits created by public funding are incredibly valuable, more valuable to individuals than the money they contribute.
It’s astounding what benefits people receive here, from extended paid maternity leave to free higher education and excellent public transportation.
It should be noted, however, that Norway’s economy is suffused with oil exports from their lucrative reserves along the coast. I’ve heard all kinds of arguments over whether or not it’s the oil that makes Norway, and Oslo in particular, a nice place to live, and there’s no ignoring the fact that a strong export market does contribute to Norway’s impressive GDP per capita. The perpetual question on everyone’s minds is what Norway will do once the oil runs out.
In my mind, I doubt much will change. Despite having the socialist tag, which implies massive spending, the Government and Storting (executive and legislative branches, respectively) have been remarkably responsible with the surplus generated from the state oil company Statoil and saved the vast majority of it away in a reserve fund.
This means despite having a bit of extra support from exports, the social programs function primarily on regular taxes. With that being the case, I reason that so long as the populace continues to abide by their egalitarian principles, Norway will retain its social structure and remain a very pleasant place to live.
kapolkac@mail.gvsu.edu
Posted 6:37 PM
