{"id":176,"date":"2021-03-24T06:42:04","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T06:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/zobitz\/?p=176"},"modified":"2021-03-24T06:42:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T06:42:04","slug":"finland-happiest-place-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/zobitz\/2021\/03\/24\/finland-happiest-place-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Finland: happiest place on Earth?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s been quiet on the blog (thanks for the reminder Mom!).  One thing that I have been ruminating on is a recent report that ranked Finland as the happiest country in the world<\/a> (again!).  This was actively commented on in Finnish social media and the news.  One common question is why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can see why Finland was ranked in the top spot again. The country by and large has a stable economy.\u00a0 New families are supported with parental leave.\u00a0 There is access to health care. Mass transit is accessible and affordable.\u00a0 There is convenient access to nature (we visited Helsinki and Tampere, the two largest cities in Finland, and were minutes from large parks).\u00a0 A lot of these points and others are comprehensively discussed by\u00a0Anu Partanen in\u00a0The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better of Life<\/em><\/a>), which I talked introduced in a post about\u00a0sisu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I suspect the happiness measure would not be the same across different groups in Finland.\u00a0 The same week this happiness report came out, two news articles in the Finnish media described\u00a0harassment and discrimination by female Cabinet members<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0how non-white (non-blonde) Finns are routinely asked \u201care you from here?<\/a>\u201d (sound familiar?).\u00a0 COVID 19 cases are increasing here again,\u00a0leading to talk of a partial lockdown.<\/a>\u00a0There is work to be done, even in Finland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal experience with the health care system confirms how Finnish society is structured to support the ranking on the happiness report. I had to renew a regular prescription \u2013 which meant calling for an appointment.  The doctor was able to approve the prescription over the phone, which cost 15 dollars for a 90 day supply.  I recognize that might have been an exception, but it is line with a similar process for my spouse.  She had to visit the doctor (25 euro office visit) before refilling her prescriptions.  We don\u2019t have a \u201chealth care plan\u201d \u2013 the country has universal health care.  What we had to do is call a central number that routed me to a care team based on our residence address.  When compared to the US, a visit to the doctor runs $250 + prescription \u2013 all part of a high deductible plan that can reach to $10K annually.  I am not even factoring in the monthly cost for a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It did take some time to get connected to the correct place (a lot of calling around, etc) \u2013 and not speaking Finnish made the process harder. I recognize that I may not be taking in the full cost of the visit \u2013 it seems that health care is paid through taxes \u2013 so ask me again in a year. ( :-0 ) To be fair, based on the chapter on taxes in Partanen\u2019s book, I don\u2019t think taxes are as unreasonable as you would imagine (in other words, it is not the \u201cdreaded socialism\u201d!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experience with the health care system contrasts the difference between\u00a0freedom from<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0freedom for<\/em>.\u00a0 I perceive Finnish society is set up to value freedom from worry \u2013 worry that you won\u2019t be supported in your old age, worry that you won\u2019t be able to pay your health care expenses, etc.\u00a0 U.S. society is structured around freedom for choice \u2013 that you can choose the type of coverage in your health care plan, you can choose how much you want to save for retirement, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understandably this is a simplification with a continuum between the two. I do enjoy having choices (most of the time \u2013 it can be overwhelming).\u00a0 It does make me wonder how we could change intended outcomes by applying some of the Finnish mindset (freedom from) towards some of the pressing societal issues the US faces. What do you think?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been quiet on the blog (thanks for the reminder Mom!).  One thing that I have been ruminating on is a recent report that ranked Finland as the happiest country in the world (again!).  This was actively commented on in Finnish social media and the news.  One common question is why? I can see why Finland was<\/p>\n