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As we all know, the Nordic countries are recognized as the world's most well-being countries, where every citizen enjoys a very high level of social security schemes.
The Nordic government's slogan is to provide every citizen with "cradle-to-grave" protection, and as a result, the Nordic has become a dream retirement destination for many.
Almost every year, the Human Development Report released by the United Nations shows that the Nordic countries such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and other countries are the most stable and happy countries in the world.
However, is this really the case? With such high social welfare in the Nordic countries, why didn't the government go bankrupt? Can China's 1.4 billion people follow the example of Northern Europe?
Social welfare in Northern Europe
According to the World Bank, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway have the smallest wealth gap in the world, with high levels of national happiness, very low poverty rates, and more equal societies.
All this is due to the high level of social welfare in the Nordic countries, such as the Nordic countries, where even the most ordinary residents can enjoy free medical care.
Let's take Denmark as an example, here, as long as you are a Danish citizen, then the government will give you a large amount of medical expenses.
Both the rich and the common people can enjoy this benefit, and people no longer have to worry about seeing a doctor. The same is true for several other high-welfare states in Northern Europe.
In addition, the Nordic countries established an unemployment insurance system as early as the thirties of the nineteenth century, and today, the social security system of the Nordic countries is becoming more and more perfect.
The government's slogan is that ordinary families will not be disrupted by problems such as old age, housing, illness, and unemployment.
So, how did the Nordic countries set up these social security systems? What is the impact of a high welfare system on the country?
In fact, as early as the 70s of the last century, the social welfare system of the Nordic countries has entered a relatively mature stage.
Unlike the welfare systems of European and American countries, the Nordic countries implement universal welfare, that is, a welfare system for the largest number of people.
This difference in the welfare system is mainly reflected in the target. Western countries mainly provide a certain degree of welfare system for some special circumstances, such as the homeless and orphans, such as free medical care, pension and so on.
The Nordic countries, on the other hand, are targeting ordinary people in the Nordics, and the government is pushing for a uniform standard of welfare for all citizens.
This kind of uniform standard welfare system is not to solve the basic food and clothing as we think, but to bring the people to the standard of living of the middle class.
For example, Danes receive 9,000 kroner per month from the government. Education in Finland is free for children from primary school to university, and teachers must have a master's degree or higher.
As early as 1957, social welfare spending in Sweden and Denmark accounted for 27.4% and 27.1% of GDP per year, and the government also provided 480 days of vacation time for couples to encourage childbearing.
Speaking of which, you may wonder, wouldn't such a high social welfare put pressure on the country's finances?
In fact, everyone is right to guess, this high standard of social welfare will indeed put pressure on the government's finances, and statistics show that by the end of 1993, Sweden's national debt had reached 80% of GDP.
In addition, under the social system of high welfare, people's enthusiasm for labor has gradually weakened, and even due to the influence of subsidies, there is a strange phenomenon in Northern Europe that the income of homeless people is higher than that of diligent workers.
In addition, the country's financial pressure also makes the taxes in the Nordic countries very high, not to mention ordinary people, even students, have to pay 35% of the scholarship to pay taxes.
So how are the Nordics tackling these problems? Can the mainland have a Nordic social welfare system?
困难重重
In the wake of these problems, the Nordic countries began to propose a series of improvements, such as tightening welfare spending, implementing an active labor employment policy, and lowering the income tax rate.
The effect is also impressive, as the government has carried out reforms to reduce the welfare system, which not only ensures a high level of welfare, but also improves economic efficiency.
It can be seen that the higher the welfare system, the better. So can the mainland emulate the Nordic social welfare system? Unfortunately, the answer is no, at least not yet.
Although the Nordic experience has proved that the establishment of a universal welfare system is conducive to social development, it is unrealistic to raise the level of social welfare to the Nordic level at this stage.
First of all, the mainland's national conditions are more complex than those of northern Europe, and the vast expanse of land and the huge population base are a key factor in the mainland's inability to blindly raise the level of social welfare.
The second point is that the mainland's per capita resources are very small and cannot meet the requirements of implementing a high-level welfare system.
The third point is that the mainland's educational and medical resources are still relatively scarce, and the funds and resources needed for the operation of large countries are not comparable to those of small countries.
However, the mainland is also working towards the goal of achieving common prosperity, which is a long-term process and an inevitable goal.
Resources:
[1] Beijing News, "Why are Southern Europe and Northern Europe so different from the same high-welfare state?" 》2021-03-11