The Industrial Institute for Economic and Social Research (IUI) was founded in 1939 and two years later published its first book on economics: "The Swedish Economy during the War-Time Blockade". Since that time its English name was changed in 1997 to Research Institute of Industrial Economics and its Swedish name was transformed in 2006 to Institutet för Näringslivsforskning.
During the years IFN/IUI has engaged in most forms of applied economics. Much of its research has also transcended disciplinary boundaries and addressed issues in economic history and geography, business, finance, sociology, and engineering.
“IFN has had two important objectives: first, to build bridges between the research world and the industrial sector; and second, to promote increased diversity in Swedish social science research, challenge established knowledge, and give alternative views of reality” writes Professor Magnus Henrekson, President of IFN, in the foreword of the book.
Today the Institute IFN is focusing on four program areas. The first three were launched in 2006 and the fourth in 2007:
• Economics of Entrepreneurship
• Globalization and Corporate Restructuring
• Economics of the Service Sector
• Economics of Electricity Markets
“I think it is quite possible to produce results of high academic quality and at the same time communicate them to the public. This dual task can also be beneficial for the research itself, as it tests whether it is relevant and thus inherently useful”, Magnus Henrekson explains, adding that “the key is to be hungry for knowledge”.