The first is the article: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009657 A couple of "money paragraphs."
The nations of Continental Western Europe, in the reforms they make to try to raise their economic performance, may prove to be a testing ground for the view that culture matters for a society's economic results.
As is increasingly admitted, the economic performance in nearly every Continental country is generally poor compared to the U.S. and a few other countries that share the U.S.'s characteristics. Productivity in the Continental Big Three--Germany, France and Italy--stopped gaining ground on the U.S. in the early 1990s, then lost ground as a result of recent slowdowns and the U.S. speed-up. Unemployment rates are generally far higher than those in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Ireland. And labor force participation rates have been lower for decades. Relatedly, the employee engagement and job satisfaction reported in surveys are mostly lower, too.
Snip
The other part of the economic model consists of various elements of the country's economic culture. Some cultural attributes in a country may have direct effects on performance--on top of their indirect effects through the institutions they foster. Values and attitudes are analogous to institutions--some impede, others enable. They are as much a part of the "economy," and possibly as important for how well it functions, as the institutions are. Clearly, any study of the sources of poor performance on the Continent that omits that part of the system can yield results only of unknown reliability.
snip
The values that might impact dynamism are of special interest here. Relatively few in the Big Three report that they want jobs offering opportunities for achievement (42% in France and 54% in Italy, versus an average of 73% in Canada and the U.S.); chances for initiative in the job (38% in France and 47% in Italy, as against an average of 53% in Canada and the U.S.), and even interesting work (59% in France and Italy, versus an average of 71.5% in Canada and the U.K). Relatively few are keen on taking responsibility, or freedom (57% in Germany and 58% in France as against 61% in the U.S. and 65% in Canada), and relatively few are happy about taking orders (Italy 1.03, of a possible 3.0, and Germany 1.13, as against 1.34 in Canada and 1.47 in the U.S.).
In other words, the people of Europe don't have a desire to grow, succeed, change the world to a better place. All the street demonstrations against the US are a reaction of unhappy people who are equally unwilling to do what is necessary to achieve happiness as a society. One is tempted to shout "Pull up your socks and quit whinging! The only thing you have to lose is the chains you have placed upon yourself !"
And what are the results of this choice to whinge instead of pulling up your socks? The article eloquently describes much of the economic damage. The below shows just how far mighty Europe has fallen in every metric of knowledge creation. The below is the text of the email I received. I'm not going to cite the author since he didn't want his name associated with it. And I cannot verify the data, but it "feels" correct. It's a very interesting comment on how far Europe is falling behind the US. "Each year Nobel Prizes are awarded to people. Each country then gets to claim that their 'citizen' won the award for that year (yes, there are countries that like to 'double-dip', for example Kissinger is under both Germany and US despite being a US citizen almost his entire life). If you look at the data and get the year in which a country 'won' and then come up with the average 'year age' of winning, (removing subjective Peace and Literature prizes) it looks like this.
Austria: 1964
Italy: 1961
Germany: 1951
France: 1947
Denmark: 1949
England: 1954
Spain: 1933
Hungary: 1961
Netherlands: 1950
Russia: 1964
Sweden: 1960
Switzerland: 1959
USA: 1985
In other words, Western Europe is falling behind in Economics, Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology/Medicine. Their peak years are behind them. The average is about 1954!"
Note that even if you choose to create a single numeric for the "EU", it still is more than thirty years behind the US! For the various Europeans that sent me emails arguing their side, I suggest you consider both this analysis and the article (by a, yes, American Nobel winner). Americans may be arrogant and smug, but perhaps it's because we really are outstripping you in every measurable metric. (One not noted in this mail is the Freedom Quotient released every year by the Heritage Foundation. By the way.) There is a difference between arrogance and recognizing reality. And that's not our fault, lads and ladies. Quit bitching at me about pointing it out and look to how you can change it if you're so upset. This is squarely on you . Get past it and do something! Or is the idea of trying to change for the better a purely Anglo-sphere thing? Come on, Europe, get off your ASS! I'd love for you guys, even the French, to have a reason to be arrogant. Instead of sitting in your flats whinging about how awful us Americans are. The threads of greatness that created Western Civilization, from the Athenian Greeks to John Locke, were brought forth from your soil. The seeds must still be there. And the concept of the Rights of Man, of personal value of every individual of rational thought over blind ignorance and rational altruism over "how do I fill my ricebowl today" are worth living for, worth fighting for! Pull up your damned socks!
John