Fareed: Lessons from Sweden on smaller government

What can the U.S. learn about smaller government from Scandinavia? Fareed Zakaria looks at reforms in Sweden.

[icalund]

The US talks about Swedenization and in Sweden we are talking about "Americanization"...

[soccablau]

I really dont get "americans" who sit and complain about that sweden is so "immigrant friendly"          USA is the most multicultural place on earth ffs ? 

[WipezGaming]

Just to clarify some points here in this video. It wasn't clearly stated in the video but here in Sweden all education is extremely close to completely free, schools from the state as well as private schools. Food is even provided for free in the schools for the students. Healthcare costs in some cases but is affordable even though if the procedure may have cost a ton.

The normal salary tax is around 30% and the tax for buying most stuff is about 25%. I choose this before how it is in the US eight days a week.

[SuperGamli]

"Can the US learn anything from Sweden? "That you need to even raise that question is interesting. Sweden hits the top 4-5 on every list on standard of living, human rights, peacefullness ect. The US is more like a 40-50 place country, its a "every man for him self" mess of a country.  Would you ask "can 3rd league players learn anything from those in premier league? 

[Davidlorentzon]

I find it rather interesting that the swedes who does not think sweden is that great have not taken a deep look into how others have it in their countries.

Many of us have become too used to having our priviliges and rights that our appriciation for them starts to fade. When appriciation for them are gone then you can very easily indeed think that where you live is not that great.

I'm half-american, half-swede and I've seen & experienced a great deal of the US. The United States of America is no longer the land of opprotunity, home of the brave and land of the free anymore.

I love the America that the founding fathers created, but that America has become something far different from what we used to know.

[passingliaison]

I notice this is a 5 year old video, but I had to point something out. When he mentions healthcare being "run far more effeciently" than in they US he fails to mention why that is. It's because the running of their healthcare sytem is run by private sector companies, not government. You can even buy private healthcare instead, which results in better quality and less wait times.

He does the same with education, failing to mention that the reason for that is because they instituted school choice which has lowered costs. Convenient how they criticize "Conservatives" for not knowing about Sweden when the very policies enacted that allowed Sweden to have such a robust economy and effective social support system are some of the very same policies Conservative Republicans support to this day.

Lastly, take note of their retirement pension system. It is done in a way where the amount you receive changes with their GDP. So when Sweden has a flourishing economy it provides better, but when it isn't the system setup automatically adjusts to compensate. This also removes a powerful voter tool from political hands, because Sweden's politicians can't do what Democrats in the US do. Namely use it as a political tool to scare people into hystrics about Republans wanting to get rid of it for the purpose of getting votes.

[SWE-mfog]

In Sweden prisoners are treated better than elderly. :(
Sweden has not been to war for 200 years. The U.S. should be more like Sweden. ;)

[giuliom]

In Sweden through taxes there is universal health care, free university, parent leave, unemployment subsided, high ways. And also salaries are decent even for "low" jobs. There is low corruption.

[newsworthyable]

i would rather have my taxes pay for my college and health care than endless wars and subsidies for industries that are killing the planet. Im a USA citizen from the Green Party US. Please let us talk more about this...this is I think perhaps the key and perhaps a model for a new modern way of doing business, politics, finances, etc. your thoughts? Please be courteous in your comments.

[biniamd]

AMERICA AND THE REST OF THE WEST CAN LEARN SO MUCH FROM SWEDEN AND IT'S SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT. SWEDEN IS PROBABLY THE MOST DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. GOD, I LOVE SWEDEN!!!

[secularnevrosis]

I'm sorry to say that Sweden is through and through neo-liberal. The right-wing coallition has been working hard with pickaxe and shovel at the fundations of our commonwealth to funnel the resources over to their contributors. The goverment have even instituted new laws, regarding the freedom of information, that makes the goverments actions opaque...the new laws are even goes agains our constitution.

I hate it!

Sincerely hope that we all can get the money out of our politics.

[jensbond]

First of all, things have been going worse for sweden. Byt the same applies to the most of the world, its been getting worse.

Sweden is one country that resitsted this negative force alot. We been effected, but not as badly as other countries like USA.

[jeremymine]

Oh Fareed, you card!  Hows about you look at why we should fear becoming more like Sweden?  It's social policies!

[bluewater]

Those of us on the right have known this for some time.
It isn't "American right" that is portraying Sweden as a socialist economy, though(as was suggested here). It is the left that does this. I love it when a leftist points to one of the Scandinavian countries as being examples of "successful socialism". They are less socialist than we are in the US.

I will admit to gleaning a sort of perverse sense of pleasure from pointing that out.

[MrTallbarret]

i think 90% of those that comment here is not from Sweden...

[gregjames]

Some lessons are good to learn from what's good in their practice.
Others lessons are good to learn from what's wrong in the results when practiced. Sweeden is such a lesson in that to believe you can support ever growing numbers of immigrants that are not there to integrate with Sweden's culture, then pretend a great growing problem isn't foaming at the mouth is tantamount to believing danger does not exist.

[ritabutler]

Our biggest problem is so much of our taxes go to the military. We have more military than we need and it needs reform? Really? More spending?

[elestromusicgamesfun]

Government spending isn't a bad thing. Our entire health care system is financed by tax, for example. We're going the wrong way in Sweden, we're going the American way.

[wMathyy]

Älskar att det är så många röda och miljöhatande sossar här. Alliansen <3

[grisflyt]

Sweden is heading the way of the USA.

Sweden's infrastructure is today where the American infrastructure was in the 1960s or 1970s. The US infrastructure has been in a steady decay since, now being on par with that of Somalia. Sweden is heading the same way, because nobody wants to pay for anything anymore. "Why should I pay for a road I do not use?"