Wealth, relatively small population and homogeneity (cultural/religious/economic) does make a lot of difference, See: Qatar.
US might be wealthier (I've not vetted this statement) but it still doesn't have many of the above.
US might be wealthier (I've not vetted this statement) but it still doesn't have many of the above.
Norway as a result got one of the flattest income distributions in the world, and has relatively high degrees of social mobility, and a culture where the labour movement combined with religious groups (in what some might call a rather unholy alliance) promoted the ideal of modesty. E.g. in Norway sending your schools to private schools long held a significant stigma.
At the same time the US started moving in the exact opposite direction: Executive salaries as a multiple of workers salaries started skyrocketing etc..