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I wouldn't call Norway socialist so much as credit them for having had excellent governance. They invested the taxes they collected very wisely for the long-te

by nugget 8y ago

I wouldn't call Norway socialist so much as credit them for having had excellent governance. They invested the taxes they collected very wisely for the long-term common good of their citizens. Any country with any system of governance would be capable of this, but it turns out most human beings when given sufficient political power tend towards corruption and waste. Alaska, in the US, has followed a similar model to Norway with the Alaska Permanent Fund. Alaska issues annual dividend checks to every resident which is, as far as I know, the closest thing to a working UBI model in the world.

wwweston 8y ago
So... sufficiently good governance pursuing the general welfare of citizens is indistinguishable from socialism? ;)
- kebman 8y ago
  Because Socialism implies nationalizing private companies. Norway does not. In fact the last 50 years they've done nothing but privatization, while retaining stocks in certain key businesses - which is nothing like the traditional autocratic control known from Socialism. Heavy taxation is also not Socialism. Otherwise the British taxation of their American colonies could be deemed to be the same, while they were clearly not. Instead (largely) American companies accept the heavy taxation of the oil industry in Norway for two reasons. First of all, it is on sovereign Norwegian territory. Second, they still go home with a cool profit at the end of the day. Keeping the tax profits from that venture, and investing it in order to make it grow, is not Socialist either. In fact that could be seen as directly contrary to Socialist doctrines. In fact it can be viewed as a completely Capitalist doctrine! But one where the people benefits from those invesments, since the Sovereign Wealth Fund is designed to work for the benefit of its owners, who just happens to be the Norwegian people.

by nugget 8y ago

wwweston 8y ago

So... sufficiently good governance pursuing the general welfare of citizens is indistinguishable from socialism? ;)

kebman 8y ago
Because Socialism implies nationalizing private companies. Norway does not. In fact the last 50 years they've done nothing but privatization, while retaining stocks in certain key businesses - which is nothing like the traditional autocratic control known from Socialism. Heavy taxation is also not Socialism. Otherwise the British taxation of their American colonies could be deemed to be the same, while they were clearly not. Instead (largely) American companies accept the heavy taxation of the oil industry in Norway for two reasons. First of all, it is on sovereign Norwegian territory. Second, they still go home with a cool profit at the end of the day. Keeping the tax profits from that venture, and investing it in order to make it grow, is not Socialist either. In fact that could be seen as directly contrary to Socialist doctrines. In fact it can be viewed as a completely Capitalist doctrine! But one where the people benefits from those invesments, since the Sovereign Wealth Fund is designed to work for the benefit of its owners, who just happens to be the Norwegian people.