Liberal Criticism of the Social-Democratic Economic Model: Analysis and Counter-Argumentation

Abstract

This article analyses key positions of the critique of the social-democratic economic model. The critique is associated with the excessive role of the state, with planning, with increasing obstacles in the way of conducting business, and with the ineffectiveness of the educational system. Using as an example the functioning of the Scandinavian economic system, which in recent decades has made significant advances in constructing a just and resilient society of universal well-being, the author presents counter-arguments in defence of the effectiveness of socialdemocratic methods of administering the economic system. The work concludes that when subjected to deeper analysis, the critique of the social-democratic model in many cases lacks objectivity, while the results of the functioning of this system have been extremely positive. The successes of the social-democratic model in the Scandinavian countries have been particularly evident in the qualitative parameters of the development of society (the development of human potential, the quality and scope of medical and educational services, and the care shown by the economic system for the environment).