The Swedish Secret: What the United States Can Learn from Sweden’s Story

Imagine a country where very few people are homeless; there has been no war for 200 years; there is high-quality health care for all; there is excellent free public education a living wage is the norm and there is low unemployment; voter participation is high and political advertising on TV and radio is prohibited by law; the economy grows without creating extremes of wealth alongside poverty; and there is little national debt. You don’t have to imagine this country. It is Sweden today. The Swedish Secret: What the United States Can Learn from Sweden’s Story elucidates the remarkable similarities and differences between two cultures that have shared similar paths yet now inhabit markedly different spheres. Earl Gustafson, a former Minnesota state senator and judge, contrasts Sweden—small, wealthy, egalitarian, neutral—with the United States: huge, rich, and at odds with itself and the world. He traces the historical, economic, and social conditions of each country, describes the divergent and ultimately successful course taken by Sweden, and explores what the United States can learn from its counterpart’s example.