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Don't You Wish You Lived In Finland?

Free Grunge Textures, Flickr Creative Commons

Why are we doing a show about Finland?

The country just seems to get a lot of things right. It ranks among the highest in the world for self-reported happiness. The education system is also chronically ranked among the best in the world, but without the manic emphasis on standardized tests or cramming that afflicts other high achieving countries. They do health care better than we do, and maternity leave and parental sick time are givens.

Now, I could go on, but already you're thinking: there are certain realities here that Finland doesn't face. We're bigger, more urban, more diverse. There are ways in which "one size fits all" solutions will work in a place like Finland and not work here. Ok, fine. It's still worth asking whether we could learn something, anything from the success of the Finns. 

What do you think? Email colin@wnpr.org or tweet us @wnprcolin.

Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.

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