A Swedish Optimist

TW: Hans Rosling is a prominent Swedish statistician whose presentations on why the world IS NOT headed to hell in a hand basket are widely viewed. One sees though his primary focus is on the emerging markets closing their gaps with the western developed world. The strides there are extraordinary. As a Swede too I believe he does not focus on what it means for Americans who have grown up as hegemons to be transitioning into a lesser role amidst the world. This transition will be psychologically and politically traumatic for the U.S.

From Business Week:
"...His specialty: harnessing statistics to illustrate dramatically how economic progress has made the world better...

BW:You've tracked such measures as income, fertility, oil consumption, and bad teeth across the globe. What do your data show about the speed and evenness of progress?

HR: They show convergence. Most countries are slowly becoming more similar. It is shocking to some. I looked at the basic family realities: How many children do you have? How do they survive? Much of the world is already similar—two to three children and an average longevity of more than 65 years...

BW:You've found this is typical for most of Asia and the Arab world.It's surprising that so many big countries, like Egypt and Brazil, have lowered child mortality 50% to 100% faster than Sweden ever did.

HR:And Sweden gave development money to China up to last year! You can provide a lot of things to China, but they don't need development money. They are the ones lending to the U.S., so why should Sweden give them money?...

BW: As a result of this recession, would you expect the U.S. to fall behind other countries?

HR: We don't need to worry about falling behind. It wasn't bad for Sweden when Finland got wealthy. It isn't bad for the U.S. that Canada is wealthy and healthy. It is not a matter of falling behind, but to rise and live together.

BW: Is there any cause for celebration now?
HR: The rise of the G20. The arrogance and backward-looking attitude of the West has come to an end. I joke that President Bush asked the Prime Minister of England for money and he didn't have any, so they flew to Brazil, Saudi Arabia, China, and Russia. At Davos the Chinese President was asked if he had any advice for the new U.S. President, and he said: "Yes, be kind to those from whom you borrow money." ...The system can be so shortsighted and xenophobic...

BW: We've seen substantial state intervention to reverse the economic downturn. Do your data suggest this is good or bad?
HR: [The U.S.] thrives due to past government investments in infrastructure, education, and health. In finance, it's astonishing to me that the U.S. failed to regulate the markets this time, because they obviously could not regulate themselves. The Swedish public health service produces better health at a lower cost than the U.S. version, but the U.S. system produces better service for many minor conditions..."
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_34/b4144064844053.htm?chan=magazine+channel_special+report