The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Anu Partanen
- ISBN：0715653180
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Summary
Nordic countries are world leaders in organising society and it is no wonder Finland has been ranked among the happiest places in the world with an enviable work-life balance。
And so it was a major culture shock when journalist Anu Partanen moved from her Nordic home to America。 Basic activities， from buying a mobile to filing taxes， were so much more complicated。 As Partanen got to know her new neighbours， she discovered that they too shared her deep apprehensions， and she set out to understand why society in America （and much of the Western world） is organised in such a convoluted way。 In so doing， she reveals that the Nordic approach allows people to enjoy more individual freedom and independence from the government while promoting a greater sense of well-being。 Filled with fascinating insights， advice and practical solutions， The Nordic Theory of Everything makes a convincing argument that we can rebuild society， rekindle optimism and become more autonomous people by following in the footsteps of our neighbours to the North。
And so it was a major culture shock when journalist Anu Partanen moved from her Nordic home to America。 Basic activities， from buying a mobile to filing taxes， were so much more complicated。 As Partanen got to know her new neighbours， she discovered that they too shared her deep apprehensions， and she set out to understand why society in America （and much of the Western world） is organised in such a convoluted way。 In so doing， she reveals that the Nordic approach allows people to enjoy more individual freedom and independence from the government while promoting a greater sense of well-being。 Filled with fascinating insights， advice and practical solutions， The Nordic Theory of Everything makes a convincing argument that we can rebuild society， rekindle optimism and become more autonomous people by following in the footsteps of our neighbours to the North。
Reviews
Gaetano Venezia
，
A Shining North Star for Liberal-Capitalist Policy Nordic Exceptionalism has been a hot topic in both policy and pop culture in the past decade。 I myself have been taken with the Nordic nations。 However， I have not read much about actual experiences of Nordic policy， nor gone into much depth for how the policies compare with the US’s。 Partanen’s memoiristic， argumentative essays address this very lack and secured my inclination towards preferring Nordic policy solutions。But before addressing the A Shining North Star for Liberal-Capitalist Policy Nordic Exceptionalism has been a hot topic in both policy and pop culture in the past decade。 I myself have been taken with the Nordic nations。 However， I have not read much about actual experiences of Nordic policy， nor gone into much depth for how the policies compare with the US’s。 Partanen’s memoiristic， argumentative essays address this very lack and secured my inclination towards preferring Nordic policy solutions。But before addressing the essays， a big caveat: The book does not contain anything approximating a Nordic theory of everything。 If anything， Partanen should’ve called it The Nordic Theory of Love because that’s the phrase that gets repeated ad nauseam。 But even then， the book's editor should’ve called out the fact that there’s no discussion anywhere about Nordic motivations for these policies。 Who knows whether love is really the motivation。 And we aren’t given a definition of love， so we have to assume it in the lay sense。 If anything， given Partanen’s characterization of Nordic people as pessimistic， highly critical， and less gregarious as compared to US citizens， I wouldn’t have been surprised if love factored low in Nordic people’s motivations for public policy。 The book really should have been called The Nordic Theory of Individualism， or Pragmatic Policy， or Welfare， or Wellbeing， or the State， etc。， as these are the frequently mentioned themes of Partanen’s essays。Each essay takes on a general policy topic， like healthcare， education， or employment benefits。 Partanen—a Finnish-American immigrant—includes her own experiences with policies from the US and Finland （and compares Finnish policy to similar policies across Nordic nations）。 This format creates a very readable group of essays， with the through line being the Nordic theory of love。 While this theory of love has obvious problems， another common refrain has a much stronger basis and argumentative force: enabling individualism。One of the most important insights of the book is how Nordic nations frame social welfare in terms of freedom。 According to Partanen， America tends to stress freedom as negative rights （i。e。 the government is primarily for protecting individual rights from outside infringement， no more）。 Nordic nations stress freedom as positive rights （i。e。 the government should help to enable individual rights by decreasing dependence on social circumstances; dependence on parents， friends， or social networks is framed as being less free and more perverse and unfair than relying on government）。 Presuming that this goal of freedom via positive rights can be accomplished （as in Nordic nations）， I’m fully convinced that it is a more noble and worthy way to frame freedom。 But of course， cultural narratives are sticky and path dependence prevents a quick switch to a different policy framework。 This book presents an important introduction to an attractive alternate framing for policies， but it does not address the difficulty of actually changing these policies in America or similar nations。Despite the breadth of Partanen’s policy analysis， Partanen’s almost formulaic appeal to enabling individualism eventually becomes repetitive。 The same phrases are repeated in relation to fairly different policies like paid daycare， unemployment benefits， and preventative medicine。 I see how repeating the same general phrase about "enabling individualism"—regardless of context—lends credibility to her main argument， but I would have rather heard more specifics about how these policy areas affect different aspects of individualism。Of course， the flip side of repetition is that it legitimizes points and makes it difficult for unfriendly readers to ignore such points。 No doubt， this strategy is necessary as I expect many readers will come to the book with a deep bias against its conclusions。 But I found the repetition tiresome。Even though Partanen’s book is in need of some editing and doesn’t address a path forward in countries like the US， it nevertheless creates an important bridge for understanding the differences between American and Finnish policy via personal experience， policy details， and cultural context。 。。。more
Rochelle
，
I struggled to get through this book。 For being well-written and not that long， I just kept setting it down and walking away， largely due to the author's insistence on making sweeping statements without providing the data to back it up。 Mentions how the Nordics also struggled during the financial crisis， but it was fine and they have no excessive debt to it。。。。but doesn't show us any charts to prove this， or discuss how debt in Finland is structured differently （with municipalities bearing the c I struggled to get through this book。 For being well-written and not that long， I just kept setting it down and walking away， largely due to the author's insistence on making sweeping statements without providing the data to back it up。 Mentions how the Nordics also struggled during the financial crisis， but it was fine and they have no excessive debt to it。。。。but doesn't show us any charts to prove this， or discuss how debt in Finland is structured differently （with municipalities bearing the costs for most social welfare programs instead of the federal state）。 Mentions how fast food workers are paid the equivalent of $15-$20 an hour， but says it hasn't caused any problems at all。 Maybe she hasn't eaten fast food in a while in Finland or the US， but in the US， behind the counter is always bustling with workers。 In Finland， I see max 3-4 working behind it， and a line stretching out in front of it。 They higher fewer workers。She similarly brushes aside Finland's （and the Nordic countries' as a whole） problems with assimilating foreigners。 I guess if you don't discuss it， it's not actually a problem。 。。。more
Jenny Bradley
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Interesting。。。different way to look at Nordic v。 American life。Felt under researched
Geekychick
，
This book is comparing apples to oranges。 I was left underwhelmed。
Pavel Kasperovich
，
It actually comes to a surprise to see quite a lot of negative reviews。 Though it is true that we love judge our own governments， but dislike when foreigners do so:） I think it is important to keep in mind that this book is a journalist’s work driven by personal perception rather than a book developed by a legal expert or an economist with a clear suggestion for the US system changes。 Thus the goal is not to make the US as a copy of Nordics countries， but see things from different perspective to It actually comes to a surprise to see quite a lot of negative reviews。 Though it is true that we love judge our own governments， but dislike when foreigners do so:） I think it is important to keep in mind that this book is a journalist’s work driven by personal perception rather than a book developed by a legal expert or an economist with a clear suggestion for the US system changes。 Thus the goal is not to make the US as a copy of Nordics countries， but see things from different perspective to get inspired and define the way to reinvent the country and its policies。 And I think that this goal is well achieved in this book。 。。。more
Jennifer
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I really enjoyed this book。 She had some excellent points and used tangible information。 She explained how policies have been implemented in these two regions a very clear and approachable way。 I had a lot of aha moments。
Parul
，
It's rather charming how people from the welfare states compare avocados from west to west and still feel offended if someone thinks of them as entitled。 Forgive me for being bitter in my view as an Indian reader with too big a population and really basic worries to tackle as a nation。 But I really find it cute and interesting as well as aspirational how half the book is about comparing how Finland is better than USA （Both of which are dreamy in my opinion） It's rather charming how people from the welfare states compare avocados from west to west and still feel offended if someone thinks of them as entitled。 Forgive me for being bitter in my view as an Indian reader with too big a population and really basic worries to tackle as a nation。 But I really find it cute and interesting as well as aspirational how half the book is about comparing how Finland is better than USA （Both of which are dreamy in my opinion） 。。。more
Meg
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A must read for anyone interested in social policy。 Partanen's writing is well-researched and written out。 A book that will force you to ask the question "BUT WHY？" A must read for anyone interested in social policy。 Partanen's writing is well-researched and written out。 A book that will force you to ask the question "BUT WHY？" 。。。more
Marc
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A first hand experience of a journalist coming from Finland with interesting anecdotes and interviews。 Even though the author strives to make this appear like comprehensive analysis it falls very short。
Pica Nagano
，
Though this was written in 2016， in light of events in 2020， the arguments that Partanen makes are more compelling than ever。 2020 wasn’t just a year where everything went wrong， it was a year in which a global pandemic revealed the harsh reality of systemic problems we have ignored。 I found her anecdotes on healthcare， taxpayer funded education， paid parental leave， paid time off and paid childcare to be illuminating and feasible， especially in a country as wealthy as America。 Many right wing p Though this was written in 2016， in light of events in 2020， the arguments that Partanen makes are more compelling than ever。 2020 wasn’t just a year where everything went wrong， it was a year in which a global pandemic revealed the harsh reality of systemic problems we have ignored。 I found her anecdotes on healthcare， taxpayer funded education， paid parental leave， paid time off and paid childcare to be illuminating and feasible， especially in a country as wealthy as America。 Many right wing politicians tend to use the term “socialism” as a vile label synonymous with examples of communism in China and the USSR but Partanen debunks myths about the nanny state by underscoring policy changes with the “Nordic theory of love” which in my opinion is similar to American ideals of individualism。 It’s changed my perspective on approaching policy and my political opinion based on the futures I would want to build for children in America。 。。。more
Gerardo
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Great read。 Definitely recommend buying this book。 It showcases the misconceptions we have about the low American tax and how it ends up being more expensive than using the Nordic “high tax” with social benefits， and higher quality of life。 It contrasts very well American society and economy with a futuristic economic model。
Andréa
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Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss。 I also received a print ARC through the Goodreads First Reads program。
Vicki
，
A great comparison of the US and Nordic countries。 Summary: the two cultures combined would be perfect。
Kelly
，
Here is an example of why Goodreads is so wonderful。 I never would have selected this book to read if I had not seen a friend's review of it （thank you， Cheri）， and what a loss that would have been。 I was enthralled by the author's （a Finnish journalist who moves to the US） observations， examinations， and comparisons of US practices （and policies） to Nordic countries' way of life。 It's all here - education， cable and phone companies， health care， maternal and paternal leave， child care， politics Here is an example of why Goodreads is so wonderful。 I never would have selected this book to read if I had not seen a friend's review of it （thank you， Cheri）， and what a loss that would have been。 I was enthralled by the author's （a Finnish journalist who moves to the US） observations， examinations， and comparisons of US practices （and policies） to Nordic countries' way of life。 It's all here - education， cable and phone companies， health care， maternal and paternal leave， child care， politics， health insurance， welfare， parenting styles， and more。 Partenan is not denigrating the US; she is wondering and questioning and learning， and we wonder and question and learn alongside her。 She dispels many myths that we have of each other， and she encourages the reader to look further and examine deeper。 She does not exhort the US to follow Finland's example; she asks us to analyze our values and morals。 We are not meant to merely copy what these countries do; we are meant to ponder how we can create a society that focuses on our well being， happiness， and freedomI fear that too many will not read this book because it is about "socialism" and a "welfare country。" That is not how Partenan writes this book; there is entry for everyone in her story。 For those who do read this， they will ponder for long after they turn the last page; their eyes will be opened to immense possibilities， and hopefully， they will do more than ponder and act。 。。。more
Begüm Saçak
，
In "The Nordic Theory of Everything"， the author， who is a journalist， reflects on the quality of life in her home Finland along with other Nordic countries， and she compares how welfare， healthcare， education， and other aspects of life can look so much more different than the United States。 Not surprisingly， the author talks a lot about the policies and smart taxes - taxes are high， but unlike America or some other countries where the wealthy or upper middle class don't benefit from the taxes， In "The Nordic Theory of Everything"， the author， who is a journalist， reflects on the quality of life in her home Finland along with other Nordic countries， and she compares how welfare， healthcare， education， and other aspects of life can look so much more different than the United States。 Not surprisingly， the author talks a lot about the policies and smart taxes - taxes are high， but unlike America or some other countries where the wealthy or upper middle class don't benefit from the taxes， everybody benefits from it proportionately。 When I was reading the details about how some of the services are free and very low cost such as the day care and the university， I thought maybe we have been doing the wrong argument socialist vs。 capitalist， but what matters is how to free people and empower people in a particular society。 The author talks about "the Nordic Theory of Love"， the idea of freely making decisions without having to rely on someone or a system， which resonated a lot with me。 I think in developing or underdeveloped societies， people are not free， and they don't get what they deserve from the society simply due to lack of good social and government policies， and that eventually makes people unhappy & lowers the quality of their lives。 This book was enlightening in terms of how well-thought policies can create real impact。 A must-read！ 。。。more
Rachel
，
This book is not what I expected - at all。 But still， I was fascinated by the insight Anu provided。 I do believe that I have a clearer understanding of what makes Finland work and some of the underlying values and beliefs held by Finnish society。 Her criticism of being labeled Socialist was very convincing and eye-opening。However， I have some criticisms with the comparisons in the book。First， my lifestyle as a stay-at-home， Christian， homeschooling mom， puts me in a weird margin of American soci This book is not what I expected - at all。 But still， I was fascinated by the insight Anu provided。 I do believe that I have a clearer understanding of what makes Finland work and some of the underlying values and beliefs held by Finnish society。 Her criticism of being labeled Socialist was very convincing and eye-opening。However， I have some criticisms with the comparisons in the book。First， my lifestyle as a stay-at-home， Christian， homeschooling mom， puts me in a weird margin of American society。 The ability to accommodate so many fringes of society like myself is what makes America so unique。 For example， even if my family lived next door to the best public school in the country， I would still choose to homeschool my children for reasons not even discussed in the book。 Secondly， many of the comparisons made in the book were Finland to Manhattan。 Manhattan does not represent what life is like for the rest of us who live in other cities， rural or suburban settings， or even other parts of New York。 Manhattan is an entity unto itself and not a great representation for what the rest of the country is like。 I would probably also feel the level of anxiety and stress moving to NYC that the author did， and I'm American！ For example， we do not have years-long waiting lists for daycares that cost as much as a semester at Yale。 The level of competition described in her book that Americans face isn't quite the same once you step out of New York。 In summary， I think her book would have been more well-rounded and more convincing if she had talked to a larger variety of Americans and wrestled with the values of more Americans outside of New York City。 The book assumes that we all have the same end goals for ourselves and families， but， we may actually not。 And that's ok。 。。。more
Amy K
，
I listened to the audio version of this book， as I could， while living my busy American life as a married mother of two young children working at my full-time job managing the insurance verification team for a large health care system。 Reading is how I escape the pressure of the day and listening to audio books while I multi-task is how I squeeze in just a little more opportunity to catch up on all of the many things that I want to read。。。and admittedly to feel accomplished in reaching my goal t I listened to the audio version of this book， as I could， while living my busy American life as a married mother of two young children working at my full-time job managing the insurance verification team for a large health care system。 Reading is how I escape the pressure of the day and listening to audio books while I multi-task is how I squeeze in just a little more opportunity to catch up on all of the many things that I want to read。。。and admittedly to feel accomplished in reaching my goal to finish another book and move on to the next。 That's my American life。The Nordic Theory of Everything may not be everyone's cup of tea， the book or the culture。 This book is eye opening， depressing， tells what many of us already know and evokes frustration， anger and hope。 It's rather long and unless you have a desire to spend about an hour of American bashing on each topic （with some redeeming statements towards the end）， the hilights can be delivered directly from the author in one of the meet the author or group discussion recordings online。 It is much more impacful to hear the author's words from her own lips， but I will say that listening to this by a narrator without a Finnish accent made some of the tough pills in this book less difficult to swallow。The book （rightfully） berates the ridiculous amount of paperwork and red tape involved in just about everything from contracts with various utility companies， credit cards and health care in the US compared to other countries。 One day at work， I had to laugh at the irony as I was working accounts requiring insurance updates， I received a call from a rep with Humana， a major health insurance company， who was quite clearly calling from overseas， which is common in these industries。 What this book doesn't address is how American culture provides work for citizens of other countries （albeit not all under the best of circumstances）。All in all， this was insightful listening。 Will the US adopt Nordic polices？ It is hard to say， the country is extremely divided and with each election steps are taken forward or backwards and in what favorable direction is in the eye of the beholder， because that too is the American way。 。。。more
Hannah
，
This book is excellent！ It’s so well researched。 It did take me a while to read - it’s a bit slow going at times， but I attribute that to it being very academic。
Jonson Chong
，
A real eye-opener to what's possible with smart national policies。 More policymakers need to read this book。 A real eye-opener to what's possible with smart national policies。 More policymakers need to read this book。 。。。more
Cheri
，
I really liked this book！ I always hope that we in the USA will move toward a Finnish model of Heath care and Education reform and this book explained it well。
Krithika
，
Blissfully utopic in tone， the author seems to lose the forest for the trees—describing mostly surface-level experiential details while ignoring systemic differences like population size， tax rates， and the historic evolution of the different governing systems of the Nordics and the US。 Still， it does leave you with a lingering sense of “what if？”
Wendy
，
I was amazed at how well the author had researched the American health insurance picture。 I also got a much better understanding of how Nordic systems operaste - a great read for anyone concerned wioth the future of health insurance。
Donna Whitten
，
I think this book belongs in the hands of every US government official。 It it so well written and very educational。 Thank you Anu！
Brenda
，
I truly enjoyed this book for a clarified misconceptions I had about Nordic life\culture， it also gave me perspectives to consider about the American society I live in and the Mexican culture I've grown up in-originally I thought this book was millennial fantasy nonsense- I was completely wrong， and glad that I was。 I recommend to anyone who is doubtful that we can achieve a happy medium of a progressive Democratic social structure， but doesn't know exactly why they are doubtful。 I truly enjoyed this book for a clarified misconceptions I had about Nordic life\culture， it also gave me perspectives to consider about the American society I live in and the Mexican culture I've grown up in-originally I thought this book was millennial fantasy nonsense- I was completely wrong， and glad that I was。 I recommend to anyone who is doubtful that we can achieve a happy medium of a progressive Democratic social structure， but doesn't know exactly why they are doubtful。 。。。more
Niniane
，
Insightful details， such as how US fine print in bank fees， credit card bills， cable plans create anxiety due to a lack of consumer protection。 I identified strongly with the chapters on how the lack of universal healthcare made her feel constantly insecure。 She makes good points about how letting each person have a safety net helps people form bonds purely from love， not from obligation or financial need。 This applies to parent-child， spouses， etc。
Grab
，
Fascinating and comprehensive。 Curious to read some more balanced perspectives， but thoroughly enjoyable。
April Rasdal
，
This should be called summary of Nordic government programs。 Definitely not their theory of everything。
Lyndi Brown
，
I don't usually read non-fiction， but this book is a hopeful page-turner about the freedoms enjoyed in Nordic countries。 Yes， it's a big think book by a Finnish journalist who became a U。S。 citizen。 As she navigated the basics of life in the U。S。， everything was more complicated and stressful -- from health insurance and taxes to education and child care -- than anything she had encountered in Finland。 She compares the two countries' systems and its effect on citizens。 She debunks criticism that I don't usually read non-fiction， but this book is a hopeful page-turner about the freedoms enjoyed in Nordic countries。 Yes， it's a big think book by a Finnish journalist who became a U。S。 citizen。 As she navigated the basics of life in the U。S。， everything was more complicated and stressful -- from health insurance and taxes to education and child care -- than anything she had encountered in Finland。 She compares the two countries' systems and its effect on citizens。 She debunks criticism that Nordic countries are socialist "nanny states，" revealing instead that it is we Americans who are far more enmeshed in unhealthy dependencies than we realize。 Americans could learn from her beloved country to reduce anxiety， gain healthcare and parental leaves， and simplify taxation。 。。。more
Rachel Canter
，
I liked this book。 It reads like a New Yorker article， which is to say， it probably could have been shorter。 But mostly， it’s just both refreshing and infuriating to see how very different and very much better we could do things here in the US based on Partanen’s comparisons。
Paca
，