What gives the Nordics a head start?

到底是什么给予了北欧这样的优势？

The Nordics can do so with more justification than most.

相比之下，北欧的政客才最有资格说这种话。

'This idea is that we're Nordics.

" 主要的论点是说我们是北欧日耳曼民族。

Yet there is a limit to how many Nordics the world can absorb.

然而对于这个世界能接受多少北欧人还是存有一定限制。

All the same, ever more countries should look to the Nordics.

尽管存在着以上种种不足，还是应当有更加多的国家向他们看齐。

The main lesson to learn from the Nordics is not ideological but practical.

北欧国家给人们提供的主要经验教训不在于意识形态，而在于这种新模式的实用性。

The Nordics are bloated compared with Singapore, and they have not focused enough on means-testing benefits.

同新加坡相比，北欧国家的政府仍旧臃肿，并且也没有把足够多得精力集中在按经济情况调查结果支付补助方面。

The Nordics have pushed far-reaching reforms past unions and business lobbies.

北欧国家的改革成果远远超过了工会和商业游说组织的目标。

That includes the Nordics, who went and informed him of that a few months ago. That includes Japan.

这其中也包括北欧人，几个月前他们就把这件事告诉了他。还有日本也包括在内。

In the 1970s and 1980s the Nordics were indeed tax-and-spend countries.

北欧国家确实曾在上世纪七、八十年代实行过量入为出的政策。

The Nordics have focused on balancing the books.

北欧国家把重点放在了平衡收支方面。

Since then the Nordics have changed course — mainly to the right.

从那以后，北欧国家开始转变思路，重点地倒向自由主义。

On public services the Nordics have been similarly pragmatic.

在公共服务方面，北欧国家同样务实。

I mean, if you took countries in the Nordics, take Sweden.

我的意思是，如果你选择北欧国家，那就选择瑞典。

The Nordics cluster at the top of league tables of everything from economic competitiveness to social health to happiness.

无论是经济竞争力，还是社会安全保障，亦或是生活的幸福程度，北欧四国在世界上都是数一数二的。

That is partly because the four main Nordics — Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland — are doing rather well.

瑞典、丹麦、挪威和芬兰。这四个国家之所以成为榜样，是因为他们的改革非常成功。

Over in the Nordics things aren't quite as bad but  there's still been a need to take drastic action.

在北欧，情况并没有那么糟糕，但仍然需要采取严厉的行动。