IFN in the Press

Newsletter Commentary is commenting about socialism in the American public debate. "One can reasonably assume, as leading Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck [IFN] suggested in 2003, that societal norms in favor of work, or against living off handouts from others, originally emerged in societies where it was challenging to survive without working."

The Continental Telegraph argues that being ‘socially’ close to criminal leaders strongly affects a person’s involvement in crime. The author refers to a study "The influence of leaders on criminal decisions" by Yves Zenou, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and affiliated to IFN, et al. 

Babyology is writing about research by Petra Persson, affiliated to IFN, et al who "have just used the Swedish experience to research how dads can impact mums’ health – and the results were pretty staggering". "It turned out that encouraging dads to take days off as needed during the first year of a baby’s life made a huge difference to mums’ health."

Metro Parent writes about a study by Petra Persson, affiliated to IFN, et al showing that paid paternity leave improves moms' health postpartum: "A new Swedish survey found that a key component to keeping new mothers healthy is having their partner around, The New York Times reports. When the other parent has paid time off, the mother can receive extra support during that critical postpartum period."

The flexibility to have an extra person at home, even for a few days, offers significant postpartum benefits, new research shows. Petra Persson, Stanford University and affiliated to IFN, et al have studied effects of a 2012 Swedish law that allows fathers to take up to 30 days in the year after a birth, while the mother is still on leave, writes New York Times.

American Breitbart writes about a report by Lars Calmfors, IFN, et al stating that "compared to Finland, Norway, and Denmark, Sweden has had the most difficulty getting new migrants into the workforce". Calmfors argues that “it is an obstacle in Sweden that we have a high minimum wage". 

Mårten Blix, IFN, has talked to Healthcare Business International. He explained that “it would make sense for digital health companies to look at more densely populated areas. We have an issue with fewer doctors in the sparsely populated areas in the north and all of the benefits will be
diminished if it’s pushed into a regional context.”

Schools Improvement Net is writing about "highly able young people". The author is quoting research by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, LSE and IFN: “[A]s governments in general tend to focus in particular on increasing equity and raising achievement among low-performing pupils, the needs of gifted children are often ignored in western countries.”

"We should remember that generous welfare states pose a moral hazard", Bullfax argues. "Gatekeeping functions have been introduced, mainly for sick-leave claims, to limit over-utilization and outright cheating.Economist Martin Ljunge [IFN] suggests that the reforms may need to be quite far-reaching to reverse the long-term effect that the welfare state has had."

LIberty Unyielding and further media argue that "loosening zoning and simplifying building codes would increase the supply of housing and make housing more affordable". The writer refers to Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University: "Even left-leaning economists think rent control is stupid. For example, in 1972, the Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck warned, 'In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing.'”

Lars Engwall argues in University World News that well educated people of foreign origin are driving taxis can be explained by "insider-outsider mechanism formulated in the 1980s by the Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck [IFN] and his British colleague Dennis Snower".

Writing in Quillette about free movement within the EU, Johan Wennström, IFN, argues that "contrary to the purpose of free movement, most [of the beggars] have not come to work or study, but to beg in the most abject manners".  Wennström writes: "[...] an elite [in Westerns Europe] discourse condones destructive behavior and reinterprets a denigrating hand-to-mouth existence as an alternative lifestyle, ultimately discouraging governments from taking the necessary measures to maintain human dignity and alleviate the social costs of begging, such as imposing a blanket ban."

In a column published at Vox.org/Cepr's policy portal, Jens Josephson, Stockholm University and affiliated to IFN, and Joel Shapiro, Oxford University, discusses the role of credit rating agencies. They analyse the incidence of rating inflation when such an agency both designs and rates securities.

Freedom Bunker (Libertarian News) tackles the issue of affordable housing. In regards to rent control Freedom Bunker writes: "Economics professor Assar Lindbeck [IFN] [...] cautioned in 1972, 1In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing'.”

Over the last two decades, the amount of listed companies has declined sharply on both sides of the Atlantic, writes World Finances.  " In an influential paper, Swedish economists Alexander Ljungqvist, Joacim Tåg and Lars Persson claimed that delistings can reduce citizens’ exposure to corporate profits and undermine support for business-friendly and free trade policies”.

 It never seems to occur to liberals to try to understand what the discontented citizens of Europe who voted for Brexit or the AfD are actually saying, argues Johan Wennström, IFN, in an article in Quilette. Wennström suggests that "the cause of this intellectual rigidity may be that liberal politicians are incapable of entering a mindset in which liberal values do not reign supreme".

National Review and more media writes, about wealth-taxation, that that its "supporters do not seem concerned about the likely damage to economic growth". The wrtiter refers to a study of  the history of the Swedish wealth tax by Magnus Henrekson, IFN, and Gunnar Du Rietz. 

Michael Munger, Professor of Economics at Duke University, argues in Capitalism Magazine that cintrary to what many American believe "Sweden is one of the most robustly capitalist nations on earth". Munger refers to "as Andreas Bergh (IFN) points out in his 2016 book, Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State, it is inconceivable to think of the Sweden of the current decade as being anything other than a capitalist, and in fact libertarian, country".

CNS News states that Oregon’s legislature has passed the first statewide rent control law in the country, which Governor Kate Brown (D) signed into law. The news outlet quotes Assar Lindbeck, IFN, saying that “next to bombing, rent control seems in many cases to be the most efficient technique so far known for destroying cities.”

Before its News and more, notes that Senator Kamala Harris “enthusiastically endorses rent control. The publication writes that "economist Assar Lindbeck [IFN] said that 'next to bombing, rent control seems in many cases to be the most efficient technique so far known for destroying cities.'"

Becker's Hospital Review is writing about research by Petra Persson, Stanford University and IFN, et al: "Having a nurse or physician in your family can result in a longer life, among other benefits, according to a working paper [...]".

The nonprofit site Futurity publish a text about research by Petra Persson, Stanford University and IFN. "A question as simple as 'Are you taking your medicine?. could conceivably prolong your life, research shows." The research shows that people with access to informal health expertise, such as having a doctor or nurse in the family, are 10 percent more likely to live beyond age 80.

NPR/Radio WPSU and more observe that rent control is coming back in the state of Oregon: "The Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck [IFN] once called it "the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing." But, with rent levels in cities like Portland, San Francisco, and New York making life increasingly unaffordable for many residents, lawmakers see rent control as a fix they can deliver immediately."

New research by Petra Persson, Stanford University and affiliated to IFN, is presented in Stanford News. The researchers tackle the issue of health inequality. They find that those with relatives in the health profession are 10 percent more likely to live beyond age 80.

Medicalexpress is presenting new research by Petra Persson, Stanford University and IFN, et al.  They find that those with relatives in the health profession are 10 percent more likely to live beyond age 80. They are also significantly less likely to have chronic lifestyle-related conditions, such as heart attacks, heart failure and diabetes.

The Daily Signal and more outlets write about the first statewide rent control law in the US. "Economists say rent controls are destructive. [...] The economist Assar Lindbeck [IFN] said that “next to bombing, rent control seems in many cases to be the most efficient technique so far known for destroying cities.”

MPs have been briefed on a new research paper that assesses the pros and cons of rent controls in England, notes Landlord News: "The paper also discusses rent controls in other countries, including intense opposition from the likes of Assar Lindbeck [IFN] , a professor in Stockholm: “In many cases, rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city – except for bombing.”

Property Industry Eye writes about a research paper that has been published to help brief MPs on the arguments for and against rent controls. Rent control in other countries is mentioned and Assar Lindbeck, IFN och Stockholm University is quoted having said that "in many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city – except for bombing.”

American Star Tribune is writing that "Scandinavian capitalism is different from that in the United States".  The writer is quoting Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University, who in 1997 described what happened in Sweden after WW II: "In Lindbeck's words, the Swedish model looked 'less idyllic' by the early 1990s."

Economist publishes a text explaining why rare first names may help explain political differences. Economist quote Mounir Karadja and Erik Prawitz [IFN] clarifying "that the option to emigrate emboldened workers to join unions, who backed leftist parties. But emigrants’ rare names imply another possible explanation: an exodus of individualists left behind people friendly to collectivism."

Magnus Henrekson, IFN, is interviewed by Bloomberg about reforms needed to create more entrepreneurship in Europe.

Read the article here 

And here

Seeking Alpha is writing about "debt, debt, and more debt ". The journal is quoting research by Andreas Bergh and Magnus Henrekson, IFN: In their "paper 'Government Size and Growth: A Survey and Interpretation of the Evidence', found that as government size increases, GDP growth declines".

Nordic Labour Journal argues that "big changes to the labor market could be just around the corner, depending on who ends up forming a government". The writer is quoting Lars Calmfors, IFN, in regards to the industry’s role in wage formation. Calmfors were saying that “If these sectors are to meet their labor needs, wage increases must probably be higher than what suits the industry”.

An article by Pehr-Johan Norbäck, Lars Persson and Roger Svensson is published at Vox.eu, the policy portal of CEPR. Theyv argue that to stimulate the entry and growth of small entrepreneurial firms you need to combine subsidy schemes with policies that improve the merger and acquisition market for small entrepreneurial firms.  

The New Zealand Mortgage Mag publish a text about the Residential Tenancies Act in which changes are proposed, for example, to end "the 90 day no cause termination". The landlord and lawyer writing argues: "The proposed measures would only succeed in the manner predicted by renowned Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck [IFN] in his 1972 quote: “Rent control: the most efficient technique to destroy a city - except for bombing”.

What makes a leader and a start-up successful? The Telegraph is referring to research by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, LSE and affiliated to IFN, showing that leaders with qualifications in business, social science and law are best at driving growth. They are most likely to employ others, so taking crucial first steps toward becoming high-quality entrepreneurs.

National Review Online states that in California "a ballot initiative under consideration, Proposition 10, would open the way toward expanding government-imposed price controls on residential rentals". The magazine is mentioning Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University, who "called rent control the most effective way to destroy a city short of bombing".

The web magazine 3 Quarks Daily is publishing a text about The Nobel Factor, by Avner Offer and Gabriel Söderberg: "This rather local agenda, pressed by the influential economist Assar Lindbeck [...] was, the authors argue, crucial to explaining the pattern of awards. The authors go so far as to contrast Economics with Social Democracy, in the process identifying the discipline as a whole with its most market‐oriented strand."

Yves Zenou, affiliated tyo IFN, et al argues at Voxeu.org (the policy portar of CEPR) that "being ‘socially’ close to criminal leaders strongly affects a person’s involvement in crime". Sudyingschools in the US, it shows that removing all criminal leaders from a school can, on average, reduce criminal activity by about 20% and the individual probability of becoming a criminal by 10%.

Magnus Henrekson and Johan Wennström, IFN, write in The Quillette about recently published research on the Swedish school system: "Lessons from Sweden indicate that countries with a tradition of social-constructivist practices in their education system, and which are considering implementing or expanding market-based school reforms, should proceed with caution. For example, the U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has stated that she wants to enact a model of school choice that is identical to the one Sweden has."

Candian MTL News asks a number of people what they think "are the most important steps to take to improve California’s shortage of affordable housing?" Lanhee Chen, Stanford University, is one of the respondents that refers to Assar Lindbeck, IFN, who has called rent control "'the best way to destroy a city, other than bombing.' He’s absolutely right. Voters should reject Proposition 10 this Fall."

Sam Dumitriu, in CapX , argues that a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research "focuses on the wrong causes and ignore the real problems" in regards to produtctivity ang growth. He is quoting Magnus Henrekson, IFN: "Economic growth is not primarily about firms growing by a similar percentage or productivity rising in existing jobs because of technological change and more capital per worker. Rather, it comes mainly from churning (firm and job turnover) and restructuring — mostly shifts in production from less to more successful firms”.

The Mail On Sunday writes about an article in NYT referring to research by Erik Lindqvist, Stockholm School of Economics and affiliated to IFN, Robert Ostling, Stockholm University, and David Cesarini, New York University and affiliated to IFN.  The web site points to the research due to falling  lottery ticket sales.

New York Times is writing about research by Erik Lindqvist, Stockholm School of Economics and affiliated to IFN, Robert Ostling, Stockholm University, and David Cesarini, New York University and affiliated to IFN: "New research suggests that more money really does lead to a more satisfying life. Surveys of thousands of Swedish lottery winners have provided persuasive evidence of this truth."

Freedom Bunker, a platform for Libertarian news, is writing about research by Niclas Berggren, IFN, and Christian Bjørnskov, Aarhus University and affiliated to IFN: "Our results indicate that while reforms of government size are not robustly related to satisfaction with democracy, reforms of the other three kinds are—and in a way that runs counter to the anti-liberalization claims."

American F3News writes about the genetic influence on educational attainment. The magazine is referring to David Cesarini, New York University and affiliated to IFN, who is a co-founder of the Social Science Genetic Association Consortium along with Daniel Benjamin and Philipp Koellinger. Their goal was to find a reliable measure of heritable influence on educational attainment so that other researchers could control for genetics in their experiments, the same way they’d control for socioeconomic status or zip code. 

The American Spectator​ writes that the proposal from the Democratic Party in California to combine rent controls and massive subsidaries for renters will have a negative impact on the housing stock. The authors quotes Assar Lindbeck's, IFN, conclusion about the results of rent control: "[...] it appears to be the most efficient technique prensently known to destroy a city — except from bombing". 

South African The Citizen writes that "SA is over-governed and mis-governed, with just 49 of the 263 municipalities receiving clean audits". The author refers to research by Andreas Bergh and Magnus Henrekson, IFN: "[...] in a study of the relationship between the size of government and economic growth, found that big government is not necessarily opposed to growth. It depends on how government spends its money".

 The welfare state is the theme in this article by The Economist. The magazine is refering to research by IFN faculry: "Spending on “social protection” (pensions, benefits and the like) in the OECD club of countries has increased from 5% in the 1960s to 15% in 1980 to 21% in 2016. In a paper published in 2011, two economists, Andreas Bergh and Magnus Henrekson, estimated that a ten-percentage-point increase in the size of the state in rich countries is associated with a fall in the annual rate of GDP growth of 0.5 to one percentage point."

Australian Mirage News writes about research by Yves Zenou, Monash Business School  and affiliated to IFN. "A worldwide expert on network economics [Zenou] established the ‘Key Player’ theory – networks developed from direct interactions between two people and the interconnected links between their friends – which he demonstrated could reduce crime in Sweden by up to 30%."