I interviewed people in Israel, England, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, and Denmark. I learned a lot. I was impressed by the collectivist solutions that Denmark, Holland and Sweden have for social problems. 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.