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Is it a fair comparison though?

Norway is relatively small and homogenous compared to the US. And doesn't have a puritanical and pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps culture.

EDIT: I don't mean to defend the US here. It's a terrible system. Rather just point out the societies are so different I don't think what works in Norway can transfer directly to the US.

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There is no "fair" comparison, because quite frankly the US is quite unique in this respect.

(Well, I guess you could say that countries like North Korea are worse, but even the thought of having to compare against North Korea should give a hint on how bad things really are.)

What does homogeneity have to do with it?

Homogeneous societies may have different rates of crime or at least different issues. For example in the US there is historic and systemic racism that affects the incarceration issue. Which isn't to say profiteering from incarceration is the answer. Rather that things which work in more cohesive societies may not directly transfer to more heterogeneous ones.

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