Why are the Scandanavian countries so developed, progressive, and generally prosperous?

by david_tennants_hair

This question can also apply to most of north-central europe i think

Searocksandtrees

hi all. Just a reminder to prospective respondents of which sub we're in: it's /r/AskHistorians so let's keep all discussion to historical events/conditions prior to 1995 (per the 20-year rule); keep answers in-depth and based on solid source material; and avoid opinion/speculation/anecdotes. Thanks!

OP, you might consider x-posting this question to a political or economics sub, or perhaps /r/AskSocialScience, for their perspective

Searocksandtrees

So, I recall few earlier posts on this topic; dig into these (in no particular order)