elfs | (Reply)

From: (Anonymous)

There, I fixed it for you!

"Hmm, if this were true, ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL, those of us in places with universal health care (the rest of the developed world, more or less) would have far more entrepreneurs, artists etc than the USA,"

I thought that some other countries do have higher rates of entrepreneurship than the United States, anyway. Ironically, though, some countries' entrepreneurship rates seem largely driven by factors other than availabilty of health care that isn't dependent on a large employer. For example, in countries where most job prospects are very poor for many people, many people become small entrepreneurs rather than have no paying work at all. That is not a type of entrepreneurship to try to maximize in a society.

Can anyone point us to quality statistics on this? I certainly can't rely on mere assertions that "the United States is the most free country in the world #1 #1 #1 #1 USA!" :-)

As for artists, enough artists in some countries such as the U.K. at least used to make do on the dole and NHS for significant periods while working on their art, that I used to joke about the U.K.'s "informal system of artists' grants." :-)