The big northern European takeaway is the principle of "protect the worker, not the job."

Ironically, at this point, the Scandinavians are better free marketers than Americans, because they're willing to let entire companies go under if the market so dictates. The social safety net protects the workers, but not their jobs.

Meanwhile, we get into so many interventionist contortions protecting COMPANIES, that our version of the free market is a sick joke.