Michael C. Moynihan takes a quick look at the Swedish economy in response to someone pointing to it as a success of socialism (sorry, 'social democracy'). Among other things:
The government figure of 7 percent unemployment was repeatedly mocked by both former Prime Minister Göran Persson's detractors and allies. A study by McKinsey Global estimated the true figure—which included those on sick leave, in early retirement, in jobs programs—to be between 15 and 17 percent. Jan Edling, a researcher with the Social Democratic trade union LO, estimated the total figure of unemployed to be 19.7 percent. (Edling's report was suppressed and he was himself offered "early retirement.") The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise said the figure was 16.5 percent. Other studies ranged from 12 percent to 18 percent.
My curiosity leads me to ask how much poorer western Europe would be without the technology which has come from their cousins across the Atlantic. If the US economy had limped along at the same rate as theirs for the last sixty years where would they be?
