Are there thriving socialist economies?

Question

My socialist friends claim there are thriving socialist democracies such as in Scandanavia. Can that be true? What is the rebuttal for such ideas?

Answer 1

none that I know of, and in fact Sweden and most of europe is moving the other way. Sweden is now begining to privatize industries and lower corporate tax rates.

"Sweden's new government plans to reduce the state's role in the economy substantially, and will sell off government stakes in some of the country's best known companies, including SAS, the airline, and Nordea, the Nordic region's largest bank. In a shift in economic direction, it has pledged to spin off holdings in unlisted state-controlled firms and to open large parts of the economy to private sector competition." http://neweconomist.blogs.com/new_economist/2006/09/major_overhaul.html

Answer 2

Economic growth and standard of living in socialist countries (even including the Scandinavian countries and Canada) always lags the growth of free market countries. The 20th century was all about the 'battle' between free market individualism and socialist collectivism. On all counts, collectivism was a total and absolute failure and destroyed (literally murdered) hundreds of millions of human lives.

Answer 3

I would argue that there really isn't a true socialst economy, and that they are all mixed economies. Scandinavian countries all have their distinct politics and economies

Answer 4

Arguably Canada but not really.