What universal child care does for Norway
(Globe and Mail) Norway is ranked No. 1 in the world for productivity, measured by GDP per total hours worked, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Canada comes 17th, behind Spain.
Many variables affect productivity, and Norway’s high oil production contributes significantly to its GDP, and therefore productivity.
“However, even after controlling for the rent (profits) from natural resources, Norway has high productivity. And more importantly, our relative productivity has increased a lot from the early 1990s to 2011, even after adjusting for natural resource rents,” explains Adne Cappelen, an economist at Statistics Norway.
Mr. Cappelen attributes Norway’s high productivity to four main factors:
1. A more educated work force, largely enabled by free university tuition;............................(more)
2. Outsourcing low-wage, low-productivity labour;
3.Maximizing participation in the work force for skilled workers, (providing social support and flexible work for seniors and new parents);
4. Equal distribution of income.
The complete piece is at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/canada-competes/what-universal-child-care-does-for-norway/article11959366/
= new reply since forum marked as read
And I suspect they aren't as catered to as much as , say, the Koches. That's what is most important! 
such as Norway, that are constitutional democracies. Norway is exceptional because it has a gun loving population that nonetheless lives under gun restrictions that "we" would find "unconstitutional." AND a strong resistance to tyranny. U.S. gun lovers look and sound ridiculous when they talk about resistance to tyranny when they have never experienced it and don't know what the hell they are talking about.
I am so glad you have such a wonderful country like Norway. Since I travel in Europe every year, I look forward to some day coming to Norway and the other Scandinavian countries. You'll have to tell me what I should see, where I should visit, etc...
CTyankee
The list over what you could se, and what you should see, when in Norway is a long list - I guess you could need a couple of trips just to grasp the most important things to visit - as it is a few places you should at least try to visit when in Norway.. In my own neighborhood - I would say you should stroll down Karl Johan a summer day - with a ice cream in hand - and just look at the crowds - maybe if you are lucky walk up the palace and look at the changing of the guards who happening 2 times a day. Even though it is not like the changing of the guards outside the Palace of Buckingham, it works Or you can visit the castle - Akershus Fortress and castle. A fortress who was build in the late 1300s - as a defense from swedish attack - and was also one of the most important fortresses in Norway - as the kings representative lived there under the 400 year union with Denmark - and also housed many of the most important offices in Norway for centuries - it was not before the late 1700s, early 1800s Most of the offices had their own buildings outside of the fortress... It is a lot of museums you can visit too - most of them is open some have even free entrance - like Botanisk Hage - where you can discover many rare plants - who you might not find other places in Norway.. And also many other museums around the city - we have a decent public transport - both the tram - the bus and the subway.. And you have to wisit Vigeland park - where sinna-taggen is standing - or the monolit who is famous in most of europe.. And it is also a great park in the middle of Oslo, where many are just strolling around - maybe sit down for reading a book - or to barbeque some food - specially on a summers day the Vigelands park is a nice park to wisit.
In Oslo you have also a lot of boats/ships who you can sail with for a fee - and discover the Iceland's who are in the Oslo Fjord - most of the Iceland's have huts of them - where people is living for some parts of the summer - so you can interact with the locals if you want too : And you are not that long away from the woods either - from the downtown area of Oslo, you can with the tram - the bus or the subway travel to some of the nature around Oslo in less than 40-50 minutes - maybe even less, depending of the time of the day. And many is using the nature summer as winter.
Another route is to visit an iceland named Hovedøya - who is one of the largest Iceland's in the arcipicallo in the oslo fjord.. And where you can find ruins from a old cloister who once stood on the premises. The buildings are going all the back to the 11th century - and was used both as an monastery for monks - but also as a hospital for sick and ealdry who have no other way to go... After the reformation in 1537 most of the properties was taken over by the government - and the big cloister, who once owned most of the land around Oslo, was disbanded - and the buildings later teared down - and the rubble used to build on the fortress. And you can still look at parts of the fortress - where the rubble from the old cloister is still visible.. And by the way - if you visit Akershus fortress and castle - you can also visit some museums there.. One is the Hjemmefront museum, or the home front museum where you can look at many artifacts from WW2. And who basically is made around what is known as the homefront, where you can look about how Norwegians was living under the occupation - the Resistance - and so one... In the weekends you can also visit the old castle - who goes back to the 1370s-1380s - the tombs of the last Norwegian kings of the old dynasty is lying there - as the new dynasty, starting with Haakon the 7th - and his son Olav the 5 - And also the wifes of Haakon and Olav. And it is also the place where our current King and Queen will possible be buried when their time comes. But it is much more than a mausoleum - you can visit the old dungeons - who was dark and rather uncomfortable I guess... And then you can also go true some of the old offices like Henrik Wergelands (who is one of our best known poets) who also was the first officer of antiquity in Norway.. He died in 1849, sick of tuberculosis it is sayd... The fortress also have on a "newer part" going back to the 1800s - a national military museum, where you can se weapons on display going back to at least the 1300s - some very old museum pieces like old flintlock weapons and so one.. And some newer ones going back to WW2 or later.. In the museum it is also a cannon with an interesting history - if you get a guided tour of the museum you might be told a story that is funny
. The cannon was part of the "prize" in 1814 at the only time Norwegian soldiers and the swedish army was fighting each other in that year - this was the year we got our constitution and some had ambitions about independence for Norway that year.. Sweden was promised Norway, as payback for the support they had given to defeating Napoleon.. And the swedish generals wanted to collect. The cannon was part of the "Prize" as said before - and was part of the Norwegian army for a long time.. Before it after some time got into a museum where it lingered for a long time. Until the swedish wanted to build up their own military museum, and found out about our little gem . And wanted the cannon back.. Of course Norway refused - and even though it was not making to much wawes political speaking, it made for some tense moments between the professional historians - who made the case for giving back the cannon - or let it be in Norway.. In the end a professor in Norway got into the fry - and wrote to the counterpart in Sweden - We are willing to give back the cannon - if you are willing to give back something that we lost. (And its here it goes interesting).. The swedish counterparts wondered about what Norwegians wanted back - and expected some military artifacts. The Norwegian counter-offer was as follow. Is Norway was to give back the cannon - Sweden had to give back Herjedalen, Jemtland and Båhus len.. (who Norway lost in the 1600s to Sweden - and was maybe 50 percent of Norway before the danish lost the territories to Sweden in Wars) We still have that cannon - and the swedish have not given up Herjedalen, Jemtland and Båhus len still.
Or you, if you are on a stretch, just stroll around on the fortress - even though some parts is off limits as it is still military property - and some parts of it, is still in use as HQ for the military.. But it is just a small area, who is clearly marked as such..
But Oslo have also the problems who is part of that being a big city (by a long shoot the largest city in Norway) and the area around the fortress have some streets where prostitution is rather more the known than the opposite - specially after dark the streets can be not to friendly around the fortress.. but as the fortress is closed down between 6 or 7 in the afternoon, to 8 in the morning anyway.. We also have had, and have some issues with romanians who are coming to Norway - and have putting up shop, begging for money - and they often look miserable where they sit on the streets - for the most part they are not that miserable - and often they are organized as few.. I would advice you not to give them money... But that is just my opinion then.. (Norway is by the way given away to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland 1.400 mill Norwegian kroner to projects who should be able to help them with their need back home, and the bulk will go to minorities who often have been attacked by nationalists, with the tacit support from the government in this countries )
And then I have not even beeing talking about the "night life" in Norway - who can be as intense as the rest of Europe - But Im myself not a party lion - and to be honest - Oslo can be not that safe after midnight - even though the police do have a pressence in the streets.. And for the most part, our police are polite and is pleased to help - and as a counter to many other nations - they do not have weapon as part of the uniform..
When it comes to gun control - and the fact that many in Norway do have a weapon - who they use either on a shooting club (you have to be member of a shooting club, to be given permission to have a gun at all) and if you want to use a weapon for hunting - you have to pass a test - who is manditory for all hunters - every 2 years or so - and the right to bear arms, are not as in US at all. In fact you can - and wil be denied legal access to weapon if you are not mental stabile to have a weapon - or have a criminal past, where violence or misuse of weapons are in the case.. Of course the system are far from perfect - and have been revised many times just the last 15 years - but at least it keep weapons out of the hand to most people who are lot eligble to own weapon at all.. And i guess - outside of the hunting season - I doubt anyone are in need of weapons anyway - Norway is a safe country to wisit or to live in for the most part.
Diclotican
Lydia Leftcoast
Indeed, Norway IS expensive compared to many other nations and Oslo is one of the most expensive City's in the world today, more expensive than even Tokyo is!
Most hotels, as you point out do include a breakfast buffe - who is great if you want to spend your time doing anything else than eat local food. And you can survive fine on some sandwich from a bakery.. It exist I believe a bakery at Karl Johan/Kongens gate who still make some of the best pastry ever produces in any bakery in Norway - their Napoleons cake is out of this world, (jum
) And you can find reasonable restaurants all over the city - many of them give you a decent meal - for less money than others do...
I hope you had a nice stay in Oslo when you was there.
Diclotican
CTyankee
Oslo is a old city, even though most of the oldest buildings are lost to more modern buildings over the hundreds of years.. And to be honest - until rather late, Oslo was just a city of 20-30.000 people - it was not before the industrial revolution come to Norway - then Oslo exploded in many ways and grow to one of the biggest city's in a few decades - and continued to grow from the 1830s to today... The downtown area is maybe from the 1800s for the most part - but it have lost some of its older buildings to new ones - so Oslo is indeed a city who have existed and lived for hundreds of years - the oldest parts is from after the last great fires in the 1600 centuries, the newest are still under construction - and in a few years time, the waterfront in Oslo would have changed the face of Oslo for ever... Most of the old industry is not there anymore - the harbors is lost or other places where more modern harbors have made the older ones absolute.. And in time - most of the old docks and harbors will be rebuild to make room for new parks - and new buildings where people can live and live...
On the other side, it will make Oslo a nicer looking City hopefully, where everyone can travel and visit...
I almost forgot - if you ever was to visit Oslo, you have to visit the viking museum - where some of the best preserved ships from the viking age are on display. The famous Gokstad-skipet, or the Gokstad ship who is more then 800 year old - but looks like it have been made a decade ago.. It was preserved in the ground around at a big farm named Gokstad - where the name was from - and was discovered by archeology's in the late 1800s.. It had also a treasure of artifacts, the Queen of Gokstad was given when she was buried - with the ship, and is today on display - and is recognized as some of the best artifacts Norway have today, from that time and age..
After that, you can also travel to the Fram Museum - and the other museums who are at Bygdøy - you can sail out to Bugdøy from the downtown of Oslo - it goes every hour in the summer time and it takes 30 minutes to sail from honørbryggen (the dock right down from the Akershus Fortress I have been telling about before) and out to the museums..
Oslo is a very "green" city compared to many other major city's thanks to the facts it takes less than 30 minutes for the most part, to travel to a big park - or to the woods who is around the city - most people is able to use the woods - year around when necessary..
Or if you just want to walk around some of the areas around downtown Oslo - you can always walk to Aker brygge - and buy yourself a beer - (its often by default ringenes), but I would say you better taste Hansa beer - its tastes better than Ringnes if you want something that taste good. But Ringes is good, if you just want a beer on a warm day.. Or you can try the non-alcoholic brand Munkholm, who is very good, when cold.. We have specially stores called "vinmonopolet" for stronger liqueur if you want to buy it outside of an restaurant or a bar - and alcohol who is strong - cost a lot in Norway.. The whole system around Vinmonopoles goes back to the end of Prohibition - where the government deiced it was better to have some control over the consuming of alcohol, than to just let it all go free as it was before.. Therefore Vinmonopolet.
Our national food is good for the most part - but for the most part you will discover you can buy international food everywhere in Norway - the use of Hamburger is more common than lets say fårikål. (who is sheep meat - and Cabbage in layers in a big casserole - with some peppers, and then let cooking for at least 3 hours at an end - the result is wonderfully and the smell is making grown men cry for dinnertime )
But if you are lucky, you can get some really good Norwegian food too - it all depend of where you eat I guess.. You can ask your hotel if you ever was to visit Norway where to get some local food.. Or you can always tell me - so I can cook for you. I'm not a master of making food - but I make some good food at least
Diclotican