Maybe it’s just because I live in Minnesota, a state where the differences between immigrants from Sweden, Norway, and Finland are still apparent in the names of towns and the surnames of people. But when I run into people who would prefer that the US distribution of income be more equal, they often point to…
Predistribution, Not Redistribution, in the Nordic Countries
Predistribution, Not Redistribution, in the Nordic Countries
15 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic growth, economics of education, fiscal policy, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, poverty and inequality, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking Tags: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
The Economic Consequences of Ever-Growing Government in Finland
10 May 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, economic growth, entrepreneurship, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, Public Choice Tags: Finland, taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and labour supply
I’m currently in Finland for meetings with various people and I learned that the country’s bloated public sector and expensive welfare state are imposing a very heavy cost on the economy. How heavy of a cost? According to IMF data, there’s been no growth in per-capita GDP over the past 18 years. Why is Finland […]
The Economic Consequences of Ever-Growing Government in Finland
Setelinleikkaus: When Finns snipped their cash in half to curb inflation
18 Nov 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, financial economics, law and economics, macroeconomics, monetarism, monetary economics, property rights Tags: Finland, monetary policy
On the last day of 1945, with World War II finally behind it, Finland’s government announced a new and very strange policy.All Finns were required to take out a pair of scissors and snip their banknotes in half. This was known in Finland as setelinleikkaus, or banknote cutting. Anyone who owned any of the three…
Setelinleikkaus: When Finns snipped their cash in half to curb inflation
General Winter: Does Winter Really Always Favor Russia?
09 Dec 2022 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Finland, Napoleon, Ukraine, World War I, World War II
Is Finland an Ally of Nazi Germany? – Carl Gustaf Mannerheim – WW2 Biography Special
23 Dec 2021 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Finland, World War II
College and post-graduate wage premium in the English speaking countries, France, S. Korea, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden
31 Jul 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of education, human capital, labour economics, occupational choice Tags: Australia, British economy, Canada, College premium, Denmark, education premium, Finland, France, graduate premium, Ireland, Korea, Norway, post-graduate premium, Sweden
Source: Education at a Glance 2015, section 6.
A Brief Case Study on the Finnish Language
21 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in applied price theory Tags: economics of languages, Finland, network goods
The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox
30 May 2016 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, discrimination, gender, labour economics Tags: Finland, gender wage gap, glass ceiling, Norway, Sweden
@BernieSanders how did Danish, Swedish, Finnish & Norwegian billionaires make their money?
25 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in economic history, entrepreneurship, industrial organisation, politics - USA, survivor principle Tags: 2016 presidential election, billionaires, Denmark, entrepreneurial alertness, Finland, inherited wealth, Norway, superstar wages, superstars, Sweden
OK, Nordic billionaire population sizes might be small, but plenty more billionaires make their own money in neoliberal USA than in Bernie Sanders’ Utopia
Public, mandatory & voluntary private social expenditure, G7, Nordics, Australia & New Zealand
20 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in applied welfare economics, economics of regulation, fiscal policy, labour economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, welfare reform Tags: British economy, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, social insurance, Sweden, welfare state
Mandatory and voluntary private social expenditure makes a big difference to the degree of social insurance in some countries but not others. The calculation of these numbers in purchasing power parity would be much more interesting.
Source: OECD Income Distribution database.
% social benefits in cash by income quintile, G7, Nordics, Australia and New Zealand
20 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in fiscal policy, income redistribution, labour economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, welfare reform Tags: British economy, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, social insurance, Sweden, welfare state
Some welfare states are much more targeted. Australia has the most targeted welfare state in terms of public social benefits paid in cash to the bottom quintile (Q1) of income earners.
Source: OECD Income Distribution database.
A bizarre Finnish amateur racing car practice for redistributing winning
06 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, fiscal policy, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, poverty and inequality, property rights, public economics, rentseeking Tags: basic income, car racing, Finland, guaranteed minimum income, negative income tax
Nordic all-in average personal income tax rates at average wage by family type – corrected
25 Jan 2016 Leave a comment
in public economics Tags: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, taxation and labour supply
How Scandinavian Countries Pay for Their Government Spending
20 Nov 2015 1 Comment
in politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, public economics Tags: Denmark, Finland, growth of government, Norway, Scandinavia, size of government, Sweden, taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and labour supply, welfare state
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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