Tyler Cowen, Columnist

Denmark's Nice, Yes, But Danes Live Better in U.S.

A skeptical new book on Nordic socialism has useful lessons for American Scandiphiles.

August 16, 2016 at 9:30 AM UTC

Tyler Cowen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, a professor of economics at George Mason University and host of the Marginal Revolution blog.

Sure looks like Utopia.
Photographer: myLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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During the Democratic primary season, Bernie Sanders stressed some of the superiorities of Denmark over the U.S. And indeed Denmark is wealthy, has strong social and economic indicators, and it offers a comprehensive safety net.

But is it the policies of Denmark that we should admire, or is there something special about being Danish? A closer look at the evidence shows a more complex picture and one actually pretty favorable to the American way.