They are not afraid to invest resources in social, health, and family services. I liked their tolerance for different types of families. Social norms are more flexible, and people get along better with government. They don't seem as obsessed with the economy as we are in North America. Social and children's issues are higher on their national priorities than the budget.
People are so used to getting their needs met government that personal initiative is down.
The down side of collectivist approaches. Matan, our 11 year old son, had a great time in Europe. The undisputed highlight of our trip was his playing chess in almost every place we visited. He played in King's Garden in Stockholm every day. People gather in the park to play chess with 3 feet tall figures.