Beyond the Utopia of the Scandinavian Model: Examining the Social and Economic Realities in The Almost Nearly Perfect People

What do Nordic history, community choirs, and elves have in common? They are all topics covered in Michael Booth’s The Almost Nearly Perfect People, a novel exploring the domestic characteristics of Nordic countries.

In his most popular novel, Booth aims to prove that the Scandinavian nations, often viewed by foreigners as epitomes of societal harmony and collaboration, have their own diverse histories, issues, and phenomena that many may be unaware of.

Delving into the Danish Daydream

Part 1: Analyzing Booth’s Insight on Denmark’s Social Phenomena and Its Impact on Financial Models

One of the first chapters of Booth's novel that piqued my interest revolved around the intersection between the sociological characteristics and policy in the Danish state. Specifically, Booth refers to the distinct social norms that have shaped the outcomes of government finances and global economic trends.

Sources such as World In Data have recorded Danes for their particularly high rates of trust in social relationships. This notion has even been promoted by the official website of Denmark through their publication of pages such as “Trust: A cornerstone of Danish culture,” educating the applications of trust in Danish culture, and how they affect the social conflict and business practices.

But how does this deeply rooted trend manifest in everyday life? In The Almost Nearly Perfect People, Booth recognizes this opportunity and illustrates his own observations and anecdotes.

Firstly, he recounts his experiences with these social connections, acknowledging that these interactions are a generalization of the entire country. He notes his research on Danes' high engagement in associations, societies, and plentiful social networks. This can be attributed to recent statistics. For instance, there are over 100,000 active social organizations in Denmark, equating to one organization for every fifty-seven people, in addition to roughly four in every ten citizens participating in volunteering. This statistic is double the rate of countries like the United States, where only two in every ten participate in formal and regular volunteering.

Additionally, the novel explains his experiences at a midsummer’s eve party, noting the variety of people—ranging from teachers, to nurses, to government sector workers—all present for the evening together.

Complimenting this notion of social cohesion is Booth’s introduction of the region’s sense of trust, specifically referencing the infamous research on wallets conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, University of Zurich, and the University of Utah as a lead-in. Namely, Booth intends to reflect on the region’s recognition in the field of trust, as attributed to the previous indices included above.

This argumentative claim of trust’s prevalence in the region is demonstrated in later discussions, connecting this environment to direct results in Denmark’s economic patterns, where, according to University of Aarhus lecturer Christian Bjørnskov, the Danish justice system saves roughly 2,400 USD per person annually. Ultimately, these sociological trends have demonstrated legitimate outcomes in Danish policy, and these financial savings illustrate the tangible records of how social trust and behavior integrate into domestic governance.

However, not all of the cultural phenomena lead to directly positive results. In the novel, Booth delves into the concept of hygge, popularly known as Denmark’s emphasis on comfort culture, whether that is through cozy environments, joyful activities, or maintaining overall well-being.

In modern society, hygge could be demonstrated in intimate dinner gatherings, mindfulness, and even creating a hyggekrog, which is a cozy nook that can be made within a home. The principles of hygge have become a staple in the Danish lifestyle, and although it has its benefits, the practices of genuine happiness that constitute the concept’s practices have gained some apparent drawbacks.

In The Almost Nearly Perfect People, he argues that hygge has brought forms of xenophobia to light, specifically referring to its "codified coziness." In particular, he explains that many native citizens have had resentment towards those attempting to participate in hygge, and further, utilize its methods to separate them from the rest of the world. On the other hand, consumer culture and commercialization have taken the principles' traditional values and altered them for international markets (Booth 2011).

Much of the commercialization of the practices is a consequence to its spread to foreign countries, such as the United Kingdom and United States, where items such as Danish author Meik Wiking’s The Little Book of Hygge—published in 2016 and has sold over 1.5 million copies in thirty languages—have introduced the globe to hygge and was later followed by increases in related online searches and ventures into a similar and increasingly popular field: self-care.

As of current times, many of the items relating to hygge have risen in marketplace value. For instance, candles have risen by 40% of their marketplace value in the matter of eight years, and continue to demonstrate the globe’s increasing demand to embrace what originally constituted efforts to embrace well-being during harsh winters. As demonstrated by the reflections of the novel, the Danish sociological and cultural norms have resulted in a variety of economic and policy outcomes for the region, and moving forward, the globe.

Thus, Booth’s analysis of Danish cultural and social norms exhibits a distinct duality. While some phenomena, such as the utilization of trust, have presented apparently positive impacts on domestic society, others have had more vague impacts, such as hygge serving as a centripetal force for Danish civilians, a commercialized lifestyle for foreigners abroad, and a possible social barrier for expats living in Denmark. Ultimately, while some consider the Scandinavians to be entirely perfect models, Booth intends to reveal the vast complexities those abroad would fail to recognize.

The Gini Gauge and the Scandinavian Paradox

Part 2: Analyzing Booth’s Insight on The Relation Between the Gini Coefficients in Northern Europe

Building on the topic of the intersection of Danish sociological behavior and domestic finances, Booth’s reflection on an additional subject caught my eye: the Gini Coefficient.

In the opening chapters, Booth deciphers the Gini Coefficient, a measurement derived from the mid-20th century, highlighting the distribution of wealth in a state. For instance, countries having the highest relative equality include many of Denmark’s neighbors, such as Norway, Sweden, and Finland, in addition to Central European nations such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, countries that have been recorded for the worst inequality according to the measurement’s methodology include South Africa, Namibia, and Colombia.

Furthermore, Booth’s main argument addresses the theory that countries with the highest inequality face higher rates of social issues, such as addiction and depression, which, as a result, can negatively affect citizen happiness and behavioral trends. However, responding to claims of Denmark being one of the world's happiest nations, Booth retorts with the idea that the state, despite its above-average welfare, still faces issues in the fields of public healthcare and natural resources. This, in turn, suggests that the equality of the state doesn’t guarantee the high degree of happiness that has been recorded in the region.

Moreover, aside from the measurement’s direct relation to Denmark, Booth observes the Gini coefficient in other countries as well. Specifically, in later chapters, Booth refers to Norway’s particular policy history that has resulted in their low Gini score.

Two specific policies have affected Norway's distribution of wealth, which Booth asserts place them in a particularly unique position relative to the rest of the world’s financial equality: Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and Fiscal Rule.

For context, Norway’s recent wealth model has been greatly supported by the country’s oil industry, comprising a fifth of its GDP in recent years, and has served as the European continent’s second-largest supplier of oil and largest supplier of natural gas. Therefore, the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) was established to act as a policy to manage the state’s extensive petroleum wealth in 1990. Since then, it has mitigated the depletion of wealth through the country’s creation of fiscal rule, in which the government can only withdraw a certain percentage of the expected real return annually.

Currently, this percentage has floated around three percent.

Booth refers to these policies when referring to Norwegian domestic issues, discussing some citizens’ calls for the oil funds to be spent on social programs, such as hospitals, and subsequently calling for an increase in the percentage itself. Additionally, expanding his point of the false utopia that has been built on exponential oil wealth, Booth explains the further domestic issues, covering the region's lack of investment in research in comparison to neighboring Nordic nations, and recently, the struggle to motivate its workforce.

Specifically, the novel refers to the rising trends in the workforce’s productivity, illustrating the decreased working hours and increased holiday time. Consequently, Booth aims to address one final issue emerging in the workforce model, which is the increased number of foreigners in Norwegian jobs, demonstrating the changing work-related dynamics of the country.

In light of these developments, one quote utilized by Booth that stood out to me included the comments made by Norwegian economist Knut Anton Mork. When discussing with the New York Times, he claimed that “this is an oil-for-leasure program {...}. More and more vacation houses are being built. We have more holidays than most countries and extremely generous benefits and sick-leave policies. Someday the dream will end” (Mork 2013).

Ultimately, the novel’s analysis of the Gini coefficient reveals the inner complexities of Scandinavian nations' infamous reputations for happiness and financial equality. The arguments constituted by Booth showcase that while low Gini scores can establish a fundamental base for a functional and successful society, there are still crucial downsides to what can be easily deemed as a governmental utopia from an outside perspective. Rather, these circumstances can result in new domestic issues and challenges. Therefore, these correlations, while not as straightforward as deemed to be, can serve to demonstrate the balance between a country’s economic stability and persistent social issues.

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