Anyone who has kids, or even has taken kids out on a walk, knows from experience that if there is a ledge, an edge, a walkable border, a curb, or anything just a bit higher than the surface the kid is walking on and it’s walkable, the kid is going to climb up and walk on it.

And anyone who has seen this will know that the kid will walk on the edge until it ends. Even if they can’t see how far it goes, even if the edge meanders, even if there is a huge drop at the end of the edge.

In my experience, the kid will always take the edge over the flat ground on which you’re walking, every time.

At first (if it’s your own kids), it’s cute and fun as they ask you to hold their hand. You … Read More »

We arrived on a lovely but rainy evening, quickly rushing past the bicycles that rule the streets of Copenhagen. In Demark as a Marshall Memorial Fellow, my first meeting was at Danish Industries (DI), a large chamber of commerce group that lobbies for business and economic reforms in Denmark. From the building, a modern piece of Danish art against the historic city center, we were afforded a view of the downtown area, the water and–even on a rainy day–the bridge connecting Denmark to Sweden.

It was at dinner in this building that our group of fellows was first introduced to the idea of “Hygge”. The issues of Denmark were discussed including the changes in the welfare state, immigration, and the lack of entrepreneurship. These issues seemed, at the time, relatively standard based on our previous conversations in Europe and … Read More »