Reforming is usually seen as politically difficult. Luxemburg’s then-Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker stated frankly that: “We all know what to do, but we don’t know how to get re-elected once we have done it.” Clearly, there are many opponents to reform – such as populist media, special interests and within the civil service. And reforms usually have a short-term cost, but larger long-term gains.
Reforming successfully usually demands that political leaders have the ability to stand up for what they know to be right and endure criticism in the short term. Indeed, that is what Ronald Reagan once did – and he was both re-elected and praised afterwards. In the current race for Presidential nominations in the US, there is much talk about change. But how much substance and determination is actually behind the words?
Every industrialised country in the world has launched free-market reforms during the past two to three decades. About a dozen of these countries have reformed substantially in a number of areas. The United States is one of these. But other countries have achieved more in areas where the US still has a lot do to. And the economic and social results from the reforms have often far exceeded expectations.
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Johnny Munkhammar: Reform Lessons for the United States
Reforming is usually seen as politically difficult. Luxemburg’s then-Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker stated frankly that: “We all know what to do, but we don’t know how to get re-elected once we have done it.” Clearly, there are many opponents to reform – such as populist media, special interests and within the civil service. And reforms usually have a short-term cost, but larger long-term gains.
Reforming successfully usually demands that political leaders have the ability to stand up for what they know to be right and endure criticism in the short term. Indeed, that is what Ronald Reagan once did – and he was both re-elected and praised afterwards. In the current race for Presidential nominations in the US, there is much talk about change. But how much substance and determination is actually behind the words?
Every industrialised country in the world has launched free-market reforms during the past two to three decades. About a dozen of these countries have reformed substantially in a number of areas. The United States is one of these. But other countries have achieved more in areas where the US still has a lot do to. And the economic and social results from the reforms have often far exceeded expectations.
Read it all.