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I think the standard explanation is that a huge country like the US lacks the social cohesion necessary to pay higher tax rates in exchange for social programs

I think the standard explanation is that a huge country like the US lacks the social cohesion necessary to pay higher tax rates in exchange for social programs that benefit everyone. Like, I believe Sweden's population is about 10 million- much easier to have the social 'glue' for 'let's all agree to pay very high tax rates, and we'll all get collective social programs with it!' Versus the US at over 300 million people, you don't feel as connected to the other folks who would presumably be benefiting, and it's tougher to get a 'we're all in this together' mentality. Think of the difference in social cohesion between a small town and a huge city. Like, I'm an American and I've literally never even been to most red states, never been to Texas, don't really know anyone from any of those areas of the country, etc. I don't feel a lot of connection with them. Then there's, frankly, the racial angle. Most of the Nordic countries have traditionally been pretty ethnically homogeneous, which helps the social cohesion/let's all chip in for government programs together mentality. The US is of course not, and racial fears about 'those people' getting unearned benefits is a HUGE part of the American story. Basically, the US is the most right-wing of the developed countries, and we tend to have bell-shaped unequal systems where a small % live very well and a larger % are below European standards. Healthcare is like the best example of this. I've also heard a little talk that our political system is more amenable to lobbying by corporations than a parliamentary system, but I don't know enough about that argument to really advance it

ben_w 7y ago
> Like, I believe Sweden's population is about 10 million- much easier to have the social 'glue' This specifically is what I am not understanding. Why is 10 million supposed to be easier? 10 million is about double the size of the metropolitan area I’m currently in, and roughly a hundred times the size of the last city I worked in. In both cases the population is much too large to be a single community.
- acchow 7y ago
  > 10 million is about double the size of the metropolitan area But you can agree that you understand and feel connected to the issues of people in your metropolitan area more than those of people in another state? Or in a rural town? Assembling funds to build a bridge/tunnel/rail in your metro feels more tangible than livestock subsidies in another state?
  - ben_w 7y ago
    > Assembling funds to build a bridge/tunnel/rail in your metro feels more tangible than livestock subsidies in another state? It only feels more tangible if I personally will use it. In the case of things such as “should Berlin build a new tunnel?” (something I suspect I will never use), the trouble is the more effort I put into understanding such a possibility, the less it matters to me where it is. If I don’t use it, it doesn’t matter unless I make myself think about it, and if I make myself think about it it doesn’t matter if it’s Berlin or Beijing. Of course, I might be unusual. I did move country after visiting several to decide which was a good choice, which implies a certain range of attitudes about the world. I regard governments the way most people regard smartphone brands.
    - acchow 7y ago
      I think you are unusual. Even if you don't personally use it, a tunnel in your city will affect the lives of the people you know. It will affect the traffic patterns of you and your friends and family and coworkers. The tunnel as an idea will enter the discourse of your circles. Farm subsidies are far more abstract. The real effects of those are barely felt by urbanites, let alone the people in your specific city.
      - ben_w 7y ago
        > The tunnel as an idea will enter the discourse of your circles. Farm subsidies are far more abstract. My friends are mostly the other way around. Local road infrastructure has never been discussed, while Brexit, Bolsonaro, and the Hong Kong riots all are. It is fair to say that we don’t discuss farm subsidies (but then, they are also a very small fraction of our total taxation).

ben_w 7y ago

> Like, I believe Sweden's population is about 10 million- much easier to have the social 'glue' This specifically is what I am not understanding. Why is 10 million supposed to be easier? 10 million is about double the size of the metropolitan area I’m currently in, and roughly a hundred times the size of the last city I worked in. In both cases the population is much too large to be a single community.

acchow 7y ago
> 10 million is about double the size of the metropolitan area But you can agree that you understand and feel connected to the issues of people in your metropolitan area more than those of people in another state? Or in a rural town? Assembling funds to build a bridge/tunnel/rail in your metro feels more tangible than livestock subsidies in another state?
- ben_w 7y ago
  > Assembling funds to build a bridge/tunnel/rail in your metro feels more tangible than livestock subsidies in another state? It only feels more tangible if I personally will use it. In the case of things such as “should Berlin build a new tunnel?” (something I suspect I will never use), the trouble is the more effort I put into understanding such a possibility, the less it matters to me where it is. If I don’t use it, it doesn’t matter unless I make myself think about it, and if I make myself think about it it doesn’t matter if it’s Berlin or Beijing. Of course, I might be unusual. I did move country after visiting several to decide which was a good choice, which implies a certain range of attitudes about the world. I regard governments the way most people regard smartphone brands.
  - acchow 7y ago
    I think you are unusual. Even if you don't personally use it, a tunnel in your city will affect the lives of the people you know. It will affect the traffic patterns of you and your friends and family and coworkers. The tunnel as an idea will enter the discourse of your circles. Farm subsidies are far more abstract. The real effects of those are barely felt by urbanites, let alone the people in your specific city.
    - ben_w 7y ago
      > The tunnel as an idea will enter the discourse of your circles. Farm subsidies are far more abstract. My friends are mostly the other way around. Local road infrastructure has never been discussed, while Brexit, Bolsonaro, and the Hong Kong riots all are. It is fair to say that we don’t discuss farm subsidies (but then, they are also a very small fraction of our total taxation).