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Somehow European countries pull it off without bankrupting themselves.

by ttfkam 3y ago

nobody9999 3y ago
>Somehow European countries pull it off without bankrupting themselves. While providing universal health care to a similar number of folks and with a smaller aggregate economy. Those Europeans must be cooking the books, eh? /s US GDP[0]: $25,462,700 million Aggregate EU GDP[1]: 15.8 trillion euros N.B.: USD/Euro Exchange rate (23 July 2023)[2]: 0.89 Euro == 1 US Dollar. [0[ https://countryeconomy.com/gdp/usa?year=2022 https://countryeconomy.com/gdp/usa?year=2022 [1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/279447/gross-domestic-product-gdp-in-the-european-union-eu/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/279447/gross-domestic-pr... [2] https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=EUR https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=...
qwytw 3y ago
In most cases higher education is to some extent "rationed" and generally less accessible than in the US. Only a few countries in Europe have more University graduates. Which is of course perfectly rational if you have no ideological objects to some degree of centralized planning.
Der_Einzige 3y ago
It helps when we subsidize their military budget and their drug development costs like the status quo. If America disappeared, Europe would look a lot less socialist
commonlisp94 3y ago
Indeed, but not without tradeoffs, including: - accepting fewer students (having strict requirements). - failing students out in early classes (fewer opportunities to retake classes). - more professionally focused and shorter curriculum. - less class and subject choices - the degree commanding significantly less earnings For whatever reason, the best students seem to end up at a few top European schools (like Oxford) or go to the US.
- ttfkam 3y ago
  Oxford (like Harvard) is often less about what you'll know and more about WHO you'll know. At the undergrad level, the subject matter is generally very well-established. But when you want a job after graduation, being close friends with the CEO's child helps far more than a few tenths of a point on your GPA. Legacy admissions and nepotism are still very much a thing.

Somehow European countries pull it off without bankrupting themselves.

by ttfkam 3y ago

Somehow European countries pull it off without bankrupting themselves.

>Somehow European countries pull it off without bankrupting themselves. While providing universal health care to a similar number of folks and with a smaller aggregate economy. Those Europeans must be cooking the books, eh? /s US GDP[0]: $25,462,700 million Aggregate EU GDP[1]: 15.8 trillion euros N.B.: USD/Euro Exchange rate (23 July 2023)[2]: 0.89 Euro == 1 US Dollar. [0[ https://countryeconomy.com/gdp/usa?year=2022 https://countryeconomy.com/gdp/usa?year=2022 [1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/279447/gross-domestic-product-gdp-in-the-european-union-eu/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/279447/gross-domestic-pr... [2] https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=EUR https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=...

qwytw 3y ago

In most cases higher education is to some extent "rationed" and generally less accessible than in the US. Only a few countries in Europe have more University graduates. Which is of course perfectly rational if you have no ideological objects to some degree of centralized planning.

Der_Einzige 3y ago

It helps when we subsidize their military budget and their drug development costs like the status quo. If America disappeared, Europe would look a lot less socialist

commonlisp94 3y ago

Indeed, but not without tradeoffs, including: - accepting fewer students (having strict requirements). - failing students out in early classes (fewer opportunities to retake classes). - more professionally focused and shorter curriculum. - less class and subject choices - the degree commanding significantly less earnings For whatever reason, the best students seem to end up at a few top European schools (like Oxford) or go to the US.

ttfkam 3y ago
Oxford (like Harvard) is often less about what you'll know and more about WHO you'll know. At the undergrad level, the subject matter is generally very well-established. But when you want a job after graduation, being close friends with the CEO's child helps far more than a few tenths of a point on your GPA. Legacy admissions and nepotism are still very much a thing.