02/11/2005 4:02:17 pm
Interesting facts. I have encountered some interesting facts during the past days:

- Sweden gives "jobless growth" a face. In every other industrialised country, one per cent in GDP growth produces jobs to a various extent. Not so in Sweden.

- A four-year higher education in economics at a Swedish countryside university costs about 9000 euro. In the US, it is about 90 000 euro. Whish one is likely to give the best qualifications?

- In the northern Swedish town of Pajala, only 27 % of the population are supported by work. The rest live off the state. This is, unfortunately, not an uncommon pattern in large parts of the country.

And a final point, which I think is essential: It is not the companies in Western Europe that are the losers following the poor ´business climate. The companies can always do their business in other parts of the world. The losers are the countries themselves and thus their populations. A simple, yet not for everyone, self-evident point.