Media & Press

Anu Partanen on TV

Anu Partanen and her book The Nordic Theory of Everything have received wide coverage and frequent mentions in the U.S. and international media.

On television in Finland, Anu is a regular on-air commentator on the live morning show Jälkiviisaat.

Scroll down for highlights

Press

What's So Special About Finland?

The Atlantic

The American Dream is alive and well—in Northern Europe. Q&A with author Anu Partanen

Why People in Finland Are So Much Happier than Americans

Huffington Post

To be the happiest country, having the top economic growth isn’t necessarily the answer. Are you listening, U.S.?

The United States Could Have Nordic-style Welfare Programs, Too

The Washington Post

The U.S. can chart a different political and sociocultural path to the universal programs Scandinavians enjoy. And for starters, we already have Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and universal public schools.

What It’s Like to Live in the Country Where Giving Birth Costs $60

New York magazine's The Cut

It started when Bernie Sanders tweeted that it costs an average of $12,000 to have a baby in the United States, compared to just $60 in Finland — at which point former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley decided to weigh in.

Paul Ryan Wants to Make You Less Free

Washington Monthly

Sometimes it takes an outsider to make sense of American life. Anu Partanen was surprised to find that the lives of her American colleagues were wrenched by anxiety and dependency.

The Perpetual Panic of American Parenthood

The New York Times

Pamela Druckerman explores the dawning sense among American voters that our lack of government support for child care, and the anxiety this causes, isn’t normal

The Endless Hassle of ObamaCare

The Week

For a different model, look to The Nordic Theory of Everything, an excellent book that outlines how universal social insurance benefits the middle class.

The Way to Make America Great Again Is To Be More Like Scandinavia

Vice

A British politician summed it up perfectly when he said, "If you want the American dream, go to Finland." Q&A with author Anu Partanen.

For Generous Parental Leave and Great Schools, Move to Finland

The New York Times Book Review

Partanen is a careful, judicious writer and she makes a careful, judicious case. It's useful to know what the outsider knows: There are other ways of organizing humanity.

The Nordic Theory of Everything

Foreign Affairs

Partanen's sensible book should be required reading for those who wonder why so many Americans feel resentful and alienated.

Why The Nordics Are The Best Place To Run A Business And Live

Forbes

The U.S. should learn a few lessons from Nordic nations, especially if they want to have a happier, healthier workforce. Q&A with author Anu Partanen.

"The Nordic Theory of Everything": Northward for a Better Life

The Seattle Times

Anu Partanen's book is a game-changer in national conversations about the roles that governments should play in their citizens' lives. At the heart of Partanen's discussion is a concern with what we mean by personal freedom and opportunity.

Who Knew the Nordics Were Individualist Romantics?

The Tyee

Anu Partanen's new book challenges "socialist nanny state" stereotypes of her native Finland, and its neighbors.

Can the ‘Nordic Theory of Everything’ Fix the Failing, Flagging, Fatiguing American Dream?

American Enterprise Institute

Could it be that the American dream is actually not being lived in America anymore? Could it be alive and well, not in our free market, diverse, high stress, high opportunity culture but … in Scandinavia? A Q&A with author Anu Partanen.

7 Things Nordic Countries Are Totally Doing Right

Bustle

Using studies and anecdotal evidence, Anu Partanen debunks misconceptions and shows why Nordic people rank among the healthiest and happiest in the world. Her case is compelling.

An Interview with Anu Partanen

The Washington Independent Review of Books

The institutions of marriage, healthcare, tax structure, and employer benefits in America differ from other Western cultures. America is indeed world-class, but it may not be quite so modern after all. Author Q&A.

What If We Were More Like Finland?

The Buffalo News

Anu Partanen admires America’s can-do, dynamic, free-wheeling spirit and its energy, creativity and diversity. But she’s afraid that income inequality, a shrinking middle class and fears for the future are causing America to lose its soul.

Video

Bernie Sanders Voices

Finland was named the Happiest Country in the World. Anu Partanen explains why, in this video post to the 7 million followers of Bernie Sanders. Surprise: Finland embodies the most American of values: freedom and independence.

The Young Turks

The story of the Finnish school system is amazing, and Anu Partanen explains the surprising reasons why.

Reimagining Work

In this episode of the podcast Know What You See with Brian Lowery of Stanford Business School, Anu Partanen explains the Nordic approach to "Firing the office, freeing the workers."

Radio / Podcast

Reasons to be Cheerful with Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd

Finland has just been named the world's happiest country for the fourth year running. To celebrate, we're going on a virtual Nordic trip to explore the secrets behind their success.

April 13, 2021

Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer

"Contrary to popular belief, Nordic countries aren’t actually socialist! No, friends, the Nords are capitalists—but they pull it off much better than we do."

February 11, 2020

Public Radio International's The World

"This journalist never worried about health care — until she moved to the US." Public Radio International host Marco Werman interviews Anu Partanen about her experiences with universal health care in Finland compared with health care in the United States, after the publication of her New York Times article "The Fake Freedom of American Health Care."

March 22, 2017

Groks Science Radio Show & Podcast

Interview with Anu Partanen about her book The Nordic Theory of Everything

July 27, 2016

Use the play button below, or listen on the Groks Science Radio site or download the podcast from iTunes