zlacker

>>obscur+(OP)
> But recently, cracks have been starting to show. Norwegians are taking much more sick leave than a decade ago, driving up costs for health services. Student test scores have worsened more than in other Scandinavian countries, and critics of the government say there are too many boondoggle tunnels and bridges to nowhere.

These are the issues they're worried about? None of the numbers I saw while scanning look particularly worrying, and I doubt there's ever been a country on the face of this planet for which you wouldn't have been able to produce a similar list of issues of this magnitude - including past Norway.

They're worth paying attention to, but not sounding the alarm bells over.

>>Vinnl+e6
> They're worth paying attention to, but not sounding the alarm bells over.

That's because there is a default bad assumption that because they are so wealthy that no problems should exist, similar to how very rich people are seen. Looking at other wealthy petro-states (and people) around the world, that's clearly not true.

But relatively speaking I don't think there's a country that wouldn't trade most of their problems for Norway's, with the possible exception of their aging population.

>>danans+j9
What's the problem? Only poor people care about test scores as they imagine high test scores is how one can pull themselves out of being poor. When you are rich you can also do pointless things just for the fun of it like build bridges to nowhere. None of these are problems unless you try and look at it through a poor man's lens.

Poorer health might be concerning, but is likely the result of the population growing older. More children would help make the numbers look better, I suppose, but, statistically, only poor people like having children.

>>9rx+Ka
> Only poor people care about test scores as they imagine high test scores is how one can pull themselves out of being poor.

Bashing 'poor people' aside, it's safe to say that on a national level, declining test scores are a warning sign that merits investigation.

> When you are rich you can also do pointless things just for the fun of it like build bridges to nowhere

You can, but there's no small amount of broken window fallacy there.

> None of these are problems unless you try and look at it through a poor man's lens.

I might be too poor to see the joy of building of bridges to nowhere, but there are still 'problems' with declining test scores, government misuse of funds, and pointless infrastructure projects.

> statistically, only poor people like having children

Yeesh. There are at least three reasons why this is completely wrong, but what's more important is that you seem to have a weird bone to pick with "poor people". You really might want to sort that out for yourself.