IFN in the Press

In an interview in Stanford Business Petra Persson, Stanford University and affiliated to IFN,  explains that the health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could unravel because enrollees strategically drop in and out of coverage. "The end result could be a complete undermining of the market", says Petra Persson.

Stanford Medical Center Report highlights research showing a causal link between fetal stress exposure and mental health later in life. One of the researchers is Petra Persson, affiliated to IFN, and the data in the study are Swedish: “Our study offers complementary evidence linking early-life circumstance to adult mental health, but breaks new ground by focusing on stress, which may be more pertinent than malnutrition in modern developed countries such as the United States and Sweden, and by tracing health outcomes throughout the time period between the fetal shock and adulthood.”

Before its news quotes Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University, explaining that “in many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city – except for bombing.” "He’s right on target", the writer argues, "given that rent control destroys housing markets because it takes away the incentive to build new apartments, reduces the willingness of landlords to upgrade and maintain their properties, and encourages tenants to squat indefinitely in their below-market units".

Pay Scale writes that "a new study from Swedish researchers Olle Folke and Johanna Rickne [affiliated to IFN) "found correlations between women getting promoted to the top job in their fields and incidents of divorce". Pay Scale notes that "a top promotion can actually double a woman’s chance of divorce".

"A new publication by Petra Persson [affiliated to IFN] and Maya Rossin-Slater indicates that losing a loved one during pregnancy may actually impact the mental health of the child as he or she grows into adulthood," writes Disrupt Africa, an African startup portal. The text was published by Brinkwire, a hub for blogs, online communities etcetera.

Refering to a study by Johanna Rickne, affiliated to IFN, et al in Fortune states: "A new study by Swedish researchers found that women who begin their marriage either earning less than their husband or not working at all, are significantly more likely to get divorced if their career suddenly surges."

Women's "hard-won successes are taxed in ways that men's are not" writes New York Times. "While winning is the ultimate professional milestone for candidates, a source of elation and pride, for women it is often spoiled, according to the study, by Olle Folke and Johanna Rickne, affiliated to IFN." "In fact, the researchers find several forces that ensure men earn at least a little bit more than their wives."

The Hechinger Report examines how Sweden, New Zealand and France approach the idea of school choice. About Sweden, Jonas Vlachos, Stockholm University and affiliated to IFN, is interviwed saying that "the tension that you see is that if you’re very … laissez-faire about who can run a school, you will end up in a situation that you need more regulation”.

Forbes.com is writing about inflationary pressures in our economy. The writer refers to Lars Oxelheim, Lund University and affiliated to IFN, and a piece by him in FT.  Oxelheim argues that "historical precedence has shown how this supply/demand shift can lead to significantly higher interest rates over a short period of time". 

A Letter to the editor by Lars Oxelheim, Lund University and affiliated to IFN, is published in Financial Times. He argues that a return to inflation and a "normal" economy may result in seizure and death. "To avoid history repeating itself, the tapering should be on hold until we know the magnitude of expansionary fiscal policy by Mr Trump."

In an opinion piece by William Sander, professor at DePaul University, Crain's Chicago Business quotes Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University, arguing that "except for bombing, rent control was the best way to destroy a city".

The e-paper LiveMint states that "Mumbai is a poster child for all the harmful ways in which rent control affects the liveability of a city". The writer quotes Assar Lindbec k, IFN, saying that next to bombing“rent control seems in many cases to be the most efficient technique so far known for destroying cities.

CEPR's policy portan Vox is publishing an article by David Seim, Stockhom Iniversisty and affiliated to IFN, et al examining whether the issue of adverse selection justifies a universal mandate for unemployment insurance. They show that workers who purchased more generous unemployment insurance were more than twice as likely to be unemployed in the following year.

Following the passing of the Ikea-founder Ingvar kamprad, Magnus Henrekson, IFN, is quoted by the news agency AFP saying: "Ikea has no leader,” industrial economics researcher Magnus Henrekson warned [...] suggesting the company could lose its compass without its guiding light following Kamprad’s death.

Yahoo! UK & Ireland is publishing a piece about a "study by the Research Institute of Industrial Economics in Sweden concluded that Conservative politicians are physically more appealing than their left-wing counterparts". The IFN-reserachers responsible for the study are Niclas Berggren and Henrik Jordahl.

Canberra News writes that Australia is "stuck with the old myth that Finland is an education utopia Australia should emulate".The article refers to a study by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, affiliated to IFN, et al: "Policies and pedagogy in Finland in the years prior to the PISA 2000 were more traditional and involved annual testing and reporting. Finland's move to an even more progressive model of education preceded its downward slide in PISA performance".

In an article in The Mail on Sunday and more media outlets a paper by Niclas Berggren, IFN, et al is quoted: "'Politicians on the right look more beautiful in Europe, the United States and Australia. 'Our explanation is that beautiful people earn more, which makes them less inclined to support redistribution.'"

The logistics magazine Delivered quotes Lars Persson, IFN, about intrapreneurship. "According to Persson, intrapreneurship is relatively common in Sweden, partly due to the strong trust culture there. “Employees within firms don’t worry about not being acknowledged for their ideas or that managers will claim them as their own, and this helps foster new ideas”.

Yves Zenou at Monash University and affiliated to IFN, was part of the 2017 SMU conference on urban and regional economics, held in Singapore. The Asian Scientist Magazine wrote: A city’s inherent interconnectedness means that people, businesses, buildings and transport networks can have far-reaching, sometimes unexpected impacts on one another.

Bloomberg View writes about rent control: "Over the years, rent control has acquired a special bogeyman status among economists. Assar Lindbeck, a Swedish economist who chaired the Nobel prize committee for many years, once reportedly declared that rent control is 'the best way to destroy a city, other than bombing'.”

In an article in The Daily Caller a paper by Niclas Berggren, IFN et al, was summarized and quoted. Thev study shows that right-leaning politicians are more attractive.

Are you worried about robots making your job obsolete, is the question asked by WNPR in this radio interview. In this program Mårten Blix, IFN, is explaining how automation may affect employment in Sweden and around the world.

In much of the world  people are increasingly  anxious about a coming wave of unemployment because of automation, writes The Economic Times. "There's a risk that the social contract could crack," said Mårten Blix, IFN, to The Economic Times and more outlets.

On Dec 2, US Senate passed a tax bill changing statutory corporate tax rate (CTR) from 35 to 20 percent, The Jakarta Post writes asking if the tax cut will affect growth: " [...] there is little evidence that corporate tax cut boosts economic activity unless implemented during recession, when they lead to significant increases in employment and income, according to economists Alexander Ljungqvist (NYU and affiliated to IFN) and Michael Smolyansky in a 2016 paper."  

Ed Conway is commenting on inheritance tax in The Times. He refers to research by Mikael Elinder who is affiliated to IFN, and more: "Having dug through years of Swedish data, they found that inheritance directly reduced the wealth gini coefficient — the most widely-followed measure of  inequality — by a whopping 6 per cent, about the same as the impact of a big stock market crash."

Foreign-born people in Sweden face a glass ceiling in local politics and are less likely to reach high-level positions even after decades in the country, new research by Jophanna Rickne, Stockholm University and affilated to IFN, shows. "We had expected representation of foreign-born people to be higher in communities where a higher proportion of the population was foreign-born, but that's not what we found," Rickne told The Local.

Per Hjertstrand, Pehr-Johan Norbäck and Lars Persson, IFN, et al writes at Vox about subsidies to small businesses to encourage innovation. They argue that while subsidies to reduce entry costs may increase entrepreneurial entry, they can also lead to a reduction in the likelihood of ‘breakthrough’ inventions.

At Vox David Seim, Stockholm University and affiliated to IFN, et al write about cuts to the employer portion of payroll taxes. The researchers show that such cuts reduced youth unemployment by 2-3 percentage points. "Firms used the tax windfall to expand employment and business activity, and firms with larger tax windfalls raised wages for workers – both young and old – collectively."

Washington’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would benefit shareholders and CEOs, not middle-class Americans, writes Howard Gold in Morningstar and more media. He quotes a study by Alexander Ljungqvist, NYU and affilaited to IFN: “We find little evidence that corporate tax cuts boost economic activity, unless implemented during recessions when they lead to significant increases in employment and income.”

The Globe and Mail writes about neuroeconomics, mentioning David Cesarini, NYU and affiliated to IFN: "David Cesarini, [...] , has tried to determine whether investing habits are partially hereditary by studying the financial behaviour of identical twins versus fraternal twins."

NPR is asking if cutting corporate taxes would improve the balance sheet for U.S. businesses, giving them more money to spend on jobs and investment. NPR is refering to research by Alexander Ljungqvist, NYU and affiliated to IFN, saying that he "recently tried to answer the question by looking at fluctuations in corporate tax rates at the state level".

Wall Street Journal writet that the trade organization WTO ha become "a battelground for intense national rivalries". In the article research, and graphs from the research, by Louise Johannesson, IFN, and Petros Mavroidis is being used, stating that a growing number of disputes have landed before the WTO.

In a text about monarchies research by Andreas Bergh, IFN, and Christian Bjørnskov, affiliated to IFN, is mentioned: they "found that social trust records are higher in monarchies, which contribute to a generally lower crime rate and lower corruption".

In its weekly roundup Bullfax.com is mentioning research posted by Alexander Ljungqvist, NUY and affilietad to IFN: "The Governance Implication of a Proposed Yates 'Soft Repeal'"

"In Sweden, employers pay into private funds that retrain workers who lose their jobs. The model makes the whole economy more dynamic.," the Atlantic states. Andreas Bergh, IFN och Lund University, is being interviewed saying that “one of the better parts of the Swedish model is that we encourage adjustments by allowing people to enter into training programs, or move to other areas if that is what is needed to find a job".

Bullfax.com writes about the state of markets and the economy. A study by Alexander Ljungqvist et al, NYU and affiliatad to IFN, is presented. The researcher study when having a busy director on the board is harmful to shareholders and when it is beneficial. It shows that "having a busy director on the board is typically only going to be harmful when the firms on whose boards she serves have so little in common informationally that tight time constraints result in negative monitoring synergies".

University World News has been reading Ekonomistas and a text by Danile Waldenström, IFN: "The number of administrative personnel at Swedish universities has risen seven times as fast as the number of academic staff since 2000, according to research by a Swedish professor, and they now fill nearly half of all university jobs."

Stockholm produces the second-highest number of billion-dollar tech companies per capita, after Silicon Valley, wrote Atlantic Monthly. Lars Persson, IFN, is being interviewed stating that “Until 1991, the Swedish tax system disfavored new, small, and less capital-intensive firms while favoring large firms and institutional ownership.” In addition a study about intrapreneurship by Mikael Stenkula, IFN, is referred to in the article.

Trump insists that slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to as low as 15 percent would free up valuable cash, wrote AP – a text published in numerous media outlets. The author is refering to research by Alexander Ljungvist, NYU and affiliated to IFN, suggesting that "state corporate tax cuts did little to strengthen economic activity unless the cuts were made during a recession".

Xinhua News Agency,  the official press agency of the People's Republic of China, posts on its website a text about the European welfare systems  facing problems amid economic downturns. Mårten Blix, IFN, is quoted commenting on the highest salaries and the influx of refugees with low education to the Swedish labor market. "It's a very bad combination and the statistics speak its clear language."

Seeking Alpha, a crowd-sourced content service for financial markets, is arguing that academic research has proven the negative relationship between GDP growth rates and debt. Research by Andreas Bergh and Magnus Henrekson, IFN, is mentioned: Government Size and Growth: A Survey and Interpretation of the Evidence found that as government size increases, GDP growth declines.

CNBC and further outlets publish a text about the argument that giving businesses a tax break will create more jobs. The author refers to research by Alexander Ljungqvist, NYU and affiliated to IFN. Analyzing the differences in state corporate tax rates the researchers found that they had little impact on job creation.

D. Daniel Sokol, University of Florida, Levin College of Law, refers at his blog to research by Matilda Orth, IFN, and Florin Maican, affiliated to IFN. Their findings highlight that large entrants – in the food retail market – drive productivity.

In an op-ed in the Nepalise news papper My Republica a study a by among other Johanna Rickne, affiliated to IFN is cited:  "Economists have recently found a partial cure for the dreaded mediocrity problem in politics. The cure, the scientists argue, lies in quota system."

George Monbiot is writing about Nancy MacLean’s new book, Democracy in Stores: The Deeply History of the particular Radical Right’s Stealth Arrange for America. He is critical to the Swedish Academy and "Assar Lindbeck in 1986 awarded Adam Buchanan the particular Nobel memorial service prize meant for economics".

Alan Burdick writes in The New Yorker and more about how beauty might affect elections: "Curiously, the beauty premium seems to be of most benefit to politicians on the ideological right. Niclas Berggren, IFN, and his colleagues recently performed the head-shot test on politicians from Finland, the European Parliament, and the United States. The more attractive candidates were not only likelier to have won their elections but also likelier to lean conservative."

Magzter is writing about Jesper Roine, Uppsala University, who has written a book about research by Thomas Piketty. In this context Daniel Waldenström, IFN, is mentioned. In cooperation with Roine he "is responsible for the Swedish data on long-run income and wealth inequality used in Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century".

Akio Morita et al, alleged that the short-term thinking of U.S. companies would be their downfall, writes columnist Noah Smith, Bloomberg News. He mentions research by Alxander Ljungqvist, NYU and affiliated to IFN: Prof. Kaplan [...] ignores micro evidence on the short-termism question. For example, a 2014 paper by John Asker, Joan Farre-Mensa and Alexander Ljungqvist found that “compared to private firms, public firms invest substantially less and are less responsive to changes in investment opportunities.”

First of the best is a study by David Cesarini et al mentioned by BrainBlogger. Cesarini works at NYU and is affiliated to IFN. "Our knowledge of specific genes involved in intelligence is very limited. New study published this month and based on the analysis of genetic data from 78,000 individuals reported 52 genes associated with intelligence, 40 of which are completely novel. Interestingly, many of these genes are also involved in determining other traits such as obesity, BMI, depressive syndromes, Alzheimer’s disease and others."

Without big changes the welfare system could buckle, and with it, Sweden’s generous culture, argues The Economist. In the article Mårten Blix, IFN, explains that Sweden's high living standards is manifested in far higher minimum wages than elsewhere in Europe.