Let's compare ourselves to see what we want to become

by Group 7

Every person lives in a certain environment and they are used to it. But it’s easy to forget that there are other kinds of realities, especially when we talk about countries. Governments are responsible for the well-being of its citizens, and most of its influence can be seen on various aspects of life of the population. Among it neighbors, Chile is seen as an advanced country in various senses, but what do we aspire to become? We’re going to compare Chile with an advanced European nation, Norway.

The governmental politics of Norway have led the country to a state of well-being for its inhabitants, which are satisfied and even happy with their quality of life, according to studies made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These results are very different to the ones shown in Chile, where the dissatisfaction towards the political class is very high.

But, what is not working? Why Chile, despite being privileged with natural resources, political and social stability hasn't achieved the formula for success which countries like Norway have?

First, we’re going to talk about the basis in the development of a society, the education. In Norway, the government has been responsible of the education, which is free from nursery to university, in contrast to Chile, where attending college means a great investment for the family. Another thing that makes a big difference is that the children are not evaluated through marks, but by comments until they are 13 years old, a process that facilitates the personal strengthening and the self-criticism.

Another point to keep in mind is what follows when a person finishes the professional training and enters the employment market. If we speak about numbers, Norway has one of the highest employment rates in Europe. Over 76% of people between 15 and 64 years-old in Norway have a paid job. They work 1.420 hours a year, less than the OECD average of 1.765 hours and obviously much less than the 2.000 hours a year that Chilean people are used to work. 

Finally, shouldn't we talk about that topic that makes us distressed lately? The public transportation system in Norway, unlike Chile, is financed and audited by the state, not by private companies. The country has a public transportation network that shows a high efficiency rate. The system includes the profitable National Railways, which is complemented with buses and cycling trails to promote the use of bikes as means of transport. The train system is so efficient that in case of delay the state refunds the service by offering the user a taxi. These little differences are the first ones to raise up when you compare countries and their way of dealing with problems. Even though they are simple, they allow us to realize some of the crucial differences that there are between both nations.

Chile has a long way to go; in our country, injustice and inequality are still evident, and they cause various problems and dissatisfaction on the people. With this comparison, we want to show that it’s viable to have an efficient government, and that using the resources in the right areas would actually help the system to work correctly, and in the end, its citizens would be benefited. Unlike what our government tells us, we have to believe in that better models exist out there.