Every country has good and bad policies. But these policies take the cake in how beneficial they are.
Policies worth stealing
There’s good and bad laws in every country. What works for a certain nation, may not work for another nation. Plus there’s laws that only benefit a certain part of the country or society. The laws below however, have proven to be nothing but beneficial. From babyboxes to free college tuition to prison reading programmes; these laws make the lives of the citizens a lot better.
Baby boxes
In a couple of countries, babies are off to a particularly good start.
In Finland, expectant mother’s have received a baby box for the past 75 years. The box contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for the baby, as well as nappies, bedding and a small mattress. The box itself can be used as the baby’s first bed as it’s a safe sleeping environment.
Before the introduction of the box, Finland had an incredibly high infant mortality rate. Now, the country has one of the lowest. In order to receive the box, expectant mothers have to see the doctor for a pre-natal check-up, which has certainly helped the baby’s health.
Other countries have introduced the baby box as well. In Scotland the box contains clothes from newborn to up to the age of 6 months, everyday must-haves such as a bath towel, a travel changing mat and a bib, books so you can read to and with your child and a digital ear thermometer.
New Jersey, Ohio and Alabama are among the US States that now also receive the box and there’s trials in other countries to provide the kit.
Because the box is available for every mother, it is ensured that every baby, from all social backgrounds, has an equal start in life.
Parental leave in different countries
In many countries there are arrangements so you can spend some time with your new-born in either the first few days, weeks or in some countries even months!
In Sweden, mothers get 68 weeks of partially paid leave and fathers get 18 weeks of partially paid leave. Many countries don’t grant the father any (paid) time off. A shame, as they appear to underestimate a father’s will to spend time with his child. But in Slovenia, fathers get 90 days of fully paid leave after the birth of his child.
Click here for a full list of which countries give how much (paid) leave.
Portugal decriminalizes drugs
In Portugal, all drugs are decriminalized. In the European country, drug users aren’t treated as criminals but rather as sick people. This has as effect that people with an addiction get treatment and get better, rather than get fines and get locked up. To be clear: the law doesn’t encourage drug use, but encourages users to get safe and unpenalized help.
Since the policy was implemented 16 years ago, Portugal has seen a severe decline in drug use. Before they were one of the (European) countries with the highest drug use and it was a true epidemic. But since people don’t get arrested anymore for possession of anything less than a 10 day supply, but rather get a citation and an invitation to appear before a panel of (psychological) health experts, numbers have dropped and it is now one of the countries with the least drugrelated problems.
Source: Vice
Brazil’s prison book program
Brazil has a unique way of fighting criminal relapses.
In many prisons, there is a program where criminals’ sentence is reduced by four days if they read a book and do a report on it. It promotes development of the mind while imprisoned, helps keep their focus and rewards them with less jailtime. A benefit of this program is that it helps reduce criminal relapse: Relapse has been reduced by 30% in Brazil since the start of the program.
Tuition free colleges
There are countries where many colleges are either very cheap or tuition free. These countries value the knowledge of their citizens and aim to be a knowledge-based economy.
Countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, India and Taiwan are hailed for their (partially) tuition free colleges.
Sources; businessinsider.
23 laws from countries around the world
Here's an overview of 23 policies around the world that many feel are worth copying.