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Scandinavia is social Nirvana. Redistribution is the key to it

Many Europeans – particularly those on the political left – look at Scandinavian countries with envy. Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark appear to struggle with fewer of the social problems which beset other rich countries, with better health. Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett recently claimed to have explained why, with their book, The Spirit Level – they argued that statistics showed that the more equal a country, the better everyone who lived in it – rich or poor – did on more than two dozen criteria.

However, their book has come under serious attack in recent months, with right wing think-tanks Policy Exchange and the Taxpayers Alliance claiming to have identified flaws in their arguments and their use of statistics.