Schröder’s reshaping of Germany’s labor market in the early 2000s was hugely controversial at the time; but, in retrospect, it turned Germany from the sick man of Europe into the continent’s export powerhouse. The Nordic countries have led the way in experimenting with new ways to deliver public services while adopting “flexicurity” in labor relations.
另一个让第三条道路思想重获市场的原因是它管用。施罗德在21世纪初重组德国劳动力市场的努力在当时引起了巨大的争议；但是，事后看来，施罗德的努力将德国从欧洲病夫变为欧洲大陆的出口冠军。北欧国家是实验新方法提供公共服务、同时采取劳动力关系上的“弹性保障”（flexicurity）的先锋。结果：它们实现了稳增长、高就业、低公债的三重目标。