Study: Quality of Life highest in Scandinavian Countries
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  Study: Quality of Life highest in Scandinavian Countries
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Author Topic: Study: Quality of Life highest in Scandinavian Countries  (Read 1276 times)
Tender Branson
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« on: September 21, 2007, 03:23:28 AM »

PARIS (AFP) - Nordic countries take the greatest care of their environment and their people, according to a ranking published on Thursday by the publication Reader's Digest.

Finland comes top of the 141-nation list, followed by Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and then Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and Australia.

At the bottom of the list is Ethiopia, preceded by Niger, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Chad.

The United States comes in 23rd, China 84th and India 104th.

The ranking combines environmental factors, such as air and water quality, respect for biodiversity and greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as social factors, such as gross domestic product, access to education, unemployment rate and life expectancy.

The statistical basis is the UN's Human Development Index and the Environmental Sustainability Index drawn up by Yale and Columbia universities and the World Economic Forum.

European countries -- again, led by Scandinavia -- also top the Reader's Digest assessment of 72 cities for their quality of life. The criteria for this include public transport, parks, air quality, rubbish recycling and the price of electricity.

The winner is Stockholm, followed by Oslo, Munich and Paris.

Asia's mega-cities fare the worst. At the bottom is Beijing, preceded by Shanghai, Mumbai, Guangzhou and Bangkok.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/070920/19/14h8h.html

http://www.rd.com/content/greenest-locations-on-the-globe/3/
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The Man From G.O.P.
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« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2007, 04:22:30 AM »

So's the suicide rate.
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Tetro Kornbluth
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« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2007, 04:35:21 AM »


Not according to wiki. Though in saying that the Scandinavian suicide rate is still strangely high, I'm surprised to note that both Sweden's and Denmark's than both Ireland and the US.

Still they are both behind free-market paradise Estonia; so politics seems to have little to do with it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_rate
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Bono
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« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2007, 08:44:46 AM »

Completely subjective. Respect for biodiversity does little to enhance my quality of life.
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Tender Branson
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« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2007, 09:27:30 AM »


Not according to wiki. Though in saying that the Scandinavian suicide rate is still strangely high, I'm surprised to note that both Sweden's and Denmark's than both Ireland and the US.

Still they are both behind free-market paradise Estonia; so politics seems to have little to do with it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_rate

I agree that politics and wealth donīt have much of an influence on suicide rates: Suicide Rates may be high and low in poor countries as well as in wealthier countries:

The Netherlands for example, a country considered to be wealthy, has consistently one of the lower suicide rates while Japan has one of the highest.

Egypt meanwhile, a rather poor country, has one of the lowest rates, while India, also rather poor has one of the highest rates (except former Soviet countries) Just look at the rate the poor farmers are killing themselves in India because of drought, despair and debt ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/world/asia/19india.html

PS: Itīs good to see that Austria's suicide rate is down by almost 50% since 1986 and reached its lowest level last year. But it is still high at 15.6 per 100.000. But considering it was at 30 per 100.000 about 20 years ago, itīs still nice to see.
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Colin
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« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2007, 12:46:11 PM »

Well the Japanese example has to do with cultural mores rather than any sort of inherent problem in the Japanese system. For centuries Japanese society, in the code of Bushido, basically stated that not only is suicide moral but it is the honorable thing to do if you are dishonored in any way. The problem is that today many people still try to live by these codes and there is a certain believe, still, that dishonor can only be cured by the taking of ones life.
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afleitch
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« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2007, 12:50:25 PM »

FTR I'm sure I read that suicide rates were higher in Europe the closer to the North Pole you get.
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opebo
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« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2007, 12:54:35 PM »

Suicide?  What does that have to do with 'quality of life'?  Maybe in the US so many people die of poverty related illness, lack of health care, murders, etc., that they never get around to killing themselves.
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Platypus
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« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2007, 02:39:42 AM »

I do wonder a little why Australia ranks consistently so well in these studies-we are 200 years old with comparitively little shared history, ethnically non-unified, unsure of our place in the world, facing a semi-permanent drought, and have a terrible federal government, and yet we manage to be seen time and again as one of the world's best countries to live in, work in, do business in, etc.; plus we win sporting gloryn insane level. Twenty million people spread over an inhospitable continent, most of whom arrived less than 150 years ago, based in two cities that constantly rank as world leaders, neither with a building more than 220 years old...Scandinavia might beat us in these surveys often, but I'm pretty proud of our 8th, and the (even better) results we had in other similar studies.
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opebo
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« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2007, 06:39:43 AM »

I do wonder a little why Australia ranks consistently so well in these studies-we are 200 years old with comparitively little shared history, ethnically non-unified, unsure of our place in the world, facing a semi-permanent drought, and have a terrible federal government, and yet we manage to be seen time and again as one of the world's best countries to live in, work in, do business in, etc.; plus we win sporting gloryn insane level. Twenty million people spread over an inhospitable continent, most of whom arrived less than 150 years ago, based in two cities that constantly rank as world leaders, neither with a building more than 220 years old...Scandinavia might beat us in these surveys often, but I'm pretty proud of our 8th, and the (even better) results we had in other similar studies.

A relatively high level of redistribution, unionization, worker protection, etc.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2007, 06:43:03 AM »

I do wonder a little why Australia ranks consistently so well in these studies-we are 200 years old with comparitively little shared history, ethnically non-unified, unsure of our place in the world, facing a semi-permanent drought, and have a terrible federal government, and yet we manage to be seen time and again as one of the world's best countries to live in, work in, do business in, etc.; plus we win sporting gloryn insane level. Twenty million people spread over an inhospitable continent, most of whom arrived less than 150 years ago, based in two cities that constantly rank as world leaders, neither with a building more than 220 years old...Scandinavia might beat us in these surveys often, but I'm pretty proud of our 8th, and the (even better) results we had in other similar studies.

All that gold probably had something to do with it.
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opebo
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« Reply #11 on: September 22, 2007, 06:49:28 AM »

I do wonder a little why Australia ranks consistently so well in these studies-we are 200 years old with comparitively little shared history, ethnically non-unified, unsure of our place in the world, facing a semi-permanent drought, and have a terrible federal government, and yet we manage to be seen time and again as one of the world's best countries to live in, work in, do business in, etc.; plus we win sporting gloryn insane level. Twenty million people spread over an inhospitable continent, most of whom arrived less than 150 years ago, based in two cities that constantly rank as world leaders, neither with a building more than 220 years old...Scandinavia might beat us in these surveys often, but I'm pretty proud of our 8th, and the (even better) results we had in other similar studies.

All that gold probably had something to do with it.

You've partially touched on one aspect of Australia, but even though they are a 'resource dependant' economy and thus currently riding high (and in the past feeling the price pinch), they've maintained a fairly good quality of life for their working class even through the downturns.   Basically they just have a generous dole, good worker protections, etc.  Why? 
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Gustaf
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« Reply #12 on: September 22, 2007, 07:30:45 AM »

I do wonder a little why Australia ranks consistently so well in these studies-we are 200 years old with comparitively little shared history, ethnically non-unified, unsure of our place in the world, facing a semi-permanent drought, and have a terrible federal government, and yet we manage to be seen time and again as one of the world's best countries to live in, work in, do business in, etc.; plus we win sporting gloryn insane level. Twenty million people spread over an inhospitable continent, most of whom arrived less than 150 years ago, based in two cities that constantly rank as world leaders, neither with a building more than 220 years old...Scandinavia might beat us in these surveys often, but I'm pretty proud of our 8th, and the (even better) results we had in other similar studies.

All that gold probably had something to do with it.

You've partially touched on one aspect of Australia, but even though they are a 'resource dependant' economy and thus currently riding high (and in the past feeling the price pinch), they've maintained a fairly good quality of life for their working class even through the downturns.   Basically they just have a generous dole, good worker protections, etc.  Why? 

Opebo,I know you like to make up your own facts, but Australia is a country with relatively low taxation. The tax level of Australia is around 30% of GDP, which is higher than the US but lower than most Western countries. Looking at what I can find Australia seems fairly typical of a Western country tax-wise. It's certainly much lower than in Sweden.
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opebo
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« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2007, 09:09:52 AM »

I do wonder a little why Australia ranks consistently so well in these studies-we are 200 years old with comparitively little shared history, ethnically non-unified, unsure of our place in the world, facing a semi-permanent drought, and have a terrible federal government, and yet we manage to be seen time and again as one of the world's best countries to live in, work in, do business in, etc.; plus we win sporting gloryn insane level. Twenty million people spread over an inhospitable continent, most of whom arrived less than 150 years ago, based in two cities that constantly rank as world leaders, neither with a building more than 220 years old...Scandinavia might beat us in these surveys often, but I'm pretty proud of our 8th, and the (even better) results we had in other similar studies.

All that gold probably had something to do with it.

You've partially touched on one aspect of Australia, but even though they are a 'resource dependant' economy and thus currently riding high (and in the past feeling the price pinch), they've maintained a fairly good quality of life for their working class even through the downturns.   Basically they just have a generous dole, good worker protections, etc.  Why? 

Opebo,I know you like to make up your own facts, but Australia is a country with relatively low taxation. The tax level of Australia is around 30% of GDP, which is higher than the US but lower than most Western countries. Looking at what I can find Australia seems fairly typical of a Western country tax-wise. It's certainly much lower than in Sweden.

What does that have to do with my post, Gustaf?
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Fmr President & Senator Polnut
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« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2007, 10:31:10 AM »

I don't think taxation has anything to do with it.

We have good (but certainly not great) social protections, we don't take OURSELVES very seriously at all (but we do work hard... in spite of some beliefs to the contrary), our climate allows people to spends a large amount of time outdoors.

It is a good place to grow up in and live in.
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