Should Vermont function more like Finland?

Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2017 8:33 pm

BURLINGTON — Vermonters of the past embraced the arrival of Nordic skiing. But will those of the present expand that to "The Nordic Theory of Everything"?

Anu Partanen is about to find out.

The New York City journalist watched U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders campaign for president by calling for a higher minimum wage, paid parental leave, tuition-free college and a universal health care system — only to hear Hillary Clinton dismiss him with the declaration, "We are not Denmark."

Partanen, born and raised in Finland, questions that brush-off.

"From a Nordic perspective," she says, "nothing Bernie Sanders is proposing is the least bit crazy — pretty much all Nordic countries have had policies like these in place for years."

To elaborate, Partanen has written a book, "The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life," that explains her vision for a happier, healthier, more prosperous society.

"For generations the United States had inspired the world as a model of upward mobility and high quality of life," she begins the volume. "What could a bunch of tiny, cold, insignificant countries where everybody looks the same, acts the same, and thinks a good time is a plate of pickled herring have to offer?"

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Partanen knows what most Americans think when they hear about her native Finland and neighboring Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden: Socialism.

She knows what pops into their heads about that, too.

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"People immediately think of the Soviet Union," the author says in an interview. "Nordic countries are in many ways free market, but at the same time they've taken universal social policies to serve everyone."

Moving to America in 2008, Partanen saw how complicated public and private services were compared to her homeland. She also discovered a 2014 Pew Research Center survey in which Americans cited a growing gap between the rich and poor as the world's greatest threat, ahead of religious and ethnic hatred and pollution and environmental problems.

Partanen believes the United States could benefit from easier access to education and health care, higher paying jobs and a tax system that promotes economic balance.

"The means to restore the vitality of the American dream are well known and available," she writes. "The Nordic countries offer a clear road map for dealing with growing inequality."

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Partanen's 448-page Harper paperback has drawn notice from national news outlets including the New York Times ("Partanen is a careful, judicious writer and she makes a careful, judicious case") and Foreign Affairs ("Partanen's sensible book should be required reading for those who wonder why so many Americans feel resentful and alienated") as well as lifestyle publications such as Oprah Magazine.

"It offers a clear, informative, fact-filled survey of the differences between American and Nordic child care, health care, education, eldercare and taxation arrangements," the Seattle Times adds. "It could be a game-changer in national conversations about the roles that governments should play in their citizens' lives."

Some reviews have criticized the book for its lack of a site-specific blueprint: "Partanen has much to say about what the Nordic countries have to offer," the New York Times notes, "but remarkably little to say about how Americans can achieve this kind of glory for themselves."

In response, Partanen says that's something best decided through a democratic process. That's why she's set to speak alongside state legislative leaders Thursday at 7 p.m. at the University of Vermont's Davis Center in Burlington. She'll then appear Friday at two Montpelier events: a 10:15 a.m. VTDigger.org program at Kellogg-Hubbard Library and a 6 p.m. panel discussion at the Unitarian Church with Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and representatives of Justice for All and Rights & Democracy.

"My impression is Vermont in many ways is progressive, so I assume there are a lot of people who are interested in this," she says. "As long as Donald Trump is president, we're not going to see anything come from the White House, but states and cities can take the initiative. From my perspective, the conversation just became more local."

Kevin O'Connor is a Reformer contributor and VTDigger.org correspondent who can be contacted at kevinoconnorvt@gmail.com.