'If Americans want to live the American dream, they should go to Denmark'

A significant part of every American’s upbringing is the instillation of American values and norms. Ambition, self-efficacy, confidence, individualism and a work-horse attitude are all traits taught in classrooms. We are a culture centered about the individual, each one of us acting as the captain for our own life, told since kindergarten that we could do whatever we set our minds to. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Hidden underneath all of our lessons was a separate curriculum set by culture and society, a curriculum with no assignments or progress reports, but instead a prep course for the long and daunting stretch ahead.

Of all the national attitudes and prevailing perspectives out there, the American dream has to be one of the most attractive and best-sounding. Hearing stories of American icons like Henry Ford and Abraham Lincoln starting from scraps and working their way to the top energizes the masses and provides them with the confidence needed to enter the rat race. At the core of the dream are ideals of freedom and prosperity, timeless appeals that everyone can cling to. But is the American dream still alive? Is the U.S. still the leading land of opportunity in the free world?

If recent studies are to be believed, the answer is no. The American dream appears to have turned back east, across the Atlantic, and nestled itself gently in the heaven-on-earth that is Scandinavia.

Alan Krueger, the chairman of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, released what he calls the Great Gatsby curve. On the x-axis lies the Gini index (a measurement of nationwide income distribution), and on the y-axis lies something called “intergenerational immobility” (how difficult it is for you to make more money than your parents).

What the Great Gatsby curve shows us is that the more economically unequal the country becomes, the more difficult it is to climb the socio-economic ladder. In other words, we won’t be better off until we are all better off.

The most shocking feature of the curve is the U.S.’ position toward the top-right end of the curve, the most unequal and economically immobile portion of the graph. At the other end of the curve we find Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Each of these countries also feature a higher median income than the U.S.

In his book “The Almost Nearly Perfect People,” Michael Booth looks into “the myth of the Scandinavian Utopia” and shows that it’s not just glaciers and good times up there.

The Scandinavians’ high levels of equality and mobility do not come without a cost, as it is no coincidence that these are also the most highly taxed countries in the world. The government plays the role of banker in this game of “Monopoly," making sure everyone gets their fair share and nobody gets too far ahead or behind anyone on the economic ladder. That’s the catch: Your social mobility is certainly higher in Denmark, but you’re going to have to also pay for your neighbor’s, plus, your ceiling could be lower because of it. It’s a game of give and take. It’s safer in Denmark: Nobody loses too badly, but nobody wins that greatly either.

It all boils down to a game of odds. Your chance of rising through the classes is higher in Denmark, but your ladder is not as tall, as you are not risking as much with the government providing a safety net below you. For some, this is the way that it should be. For others, the bigger chunk of cheese waiting at the top of America’s ladder is enough to keep them stateside and in pursuit of a grander prize.

Andrew Hall is a UF management junior. His column appears on Fridays.