Book Chapters 2010–2019

Some changes in society are significant enough to warrant a specific name. Digitalization is one of those and is sometimes described as the third industrial revolution. What can we learn from comparin…

Health care in Sweden finds itself at a crossroads as regards digitalization. In this chapter, we will focus on one issue in particular that is causing consternation among primary care physicians: the…

This chapter discusses the socioeconomic and technological aspects of blockchain and its implications when adopted in fintech. In particular, we focus on the enablers of digital trust, which is suppor…

Climate change has become a key concern for policy makers, business leaders and individuals all over the world. There exists a broad scientific consensus that the emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly…

Most Nordic countries struggle with the integration of low-skilled immigrants. Relying on research from primarily the Nordics, we discuss to what extent minimum wage reductions can improve labour mark…

Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden face similar problems of integrating large groups of immigrants, especially low-educated ones from outside the EU, into their labour markets. This volume investigat…

This introductory chapter aims to shed light on how tightly the EU and the liberal international order are entwined and discuss the likely impact on the EU of a changing and, most likely, less liberal…

In Sweden, a trust-based evaluation system meets a market-oriented school system which allows liberal entry conditions to voucher-funded private providers, several of which are for-profit corporations…

This study increases our knowledge regarding the challenges of governing hybrid organisations in general and enterprises owned by local government in particular. Therefore, the findings of this study…

Bakardijeva Engelbrekt, Bremberg, Michalski, and Oxelheim introduce the concept of trust in the European Union by pointing out its elusive character comprising both interpersonal relations and attitud…

In recent years income distribution issues have received increased attention in most economically advanced countries both in the public debate and in academic circles. This reflects an international t…

Bergh considers the relationship between migration and interpersonal trust in the European Union. Interpersonal trust, Bergh avers, is an important foundation for a well-functioning society. The quest…

In this chapter we describe the EUs social dimension and its development aimed at an understanding of the prosperity gap in the EU. We identify the new social challenges the Union faces in the wake of…

The European Union suffers from an innovation deficit, which must be remedied if the EU is to improve the quality of life of its citizens and remain competitive in the global marketplace. In order to…

In this chapter I highlight how new research can provide answers to how gaps in health and wealth can be reduced. The focus is on an approach that can identify the causal direction of the connections…

Written in celebration of its 350th anniversary in 2018, this book details the history of the central bank of Sweden, Sveriges Riksbank, as presented by Klas Fregert. It relates the bank's history to…

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has increased in importance over the last decades, globally as well as in Indonesia. We examine how such inflows of FDI affects value added in Indonesia. The effect is…

The WTO has been lauded for its unique dispute settlement system. Its uniqueness lies primarily in that it is the most comprehensive “compulsory third party” adjudication regime in international relat…

The Swedish experience of introducing quasi-markets in primary care is discussed with respect to the identified objectives of primary care. Empirical studies suggest that objectives related to general…

The reliance on market solutions by the Swedish public sector has increased significantly in recent decades. The Swedish example is characterized by an openness to market solutions in many public-sect…

Today we can observe an increasing spatial divide as some large urban regions and many more medium-sized and small regions face growing problems such as decreasing labour demand, increasing unemployme…

William Easterly is not only widely known as one of the world’s most eminent development economists, but also as a forceful opponent of the way in which the West tries to promote growth in developing…

Innovation is increasingly considered the key to elevating prosperity and securing sustainable long-term growth. The last few decades have also witnessed a refi nement of previous growth models to inc…

In this chapter, we provide an overview of the literature on key players in networks. We first introduce the theoretical concept of the key player who is the agent that should be targeted by the plann…

We review and assess the role local institutional framework conditions play in fostering local entrepreneurship. The basic premise is that entrepreneurship is a central driver of economic renewal and…

In this chapter, we provide an overview of research on neighborhoods and social networks and their role in shaping behavior and economic outcomes. We include a discussion of empirical and theoretical…

We provide an overview on networks in economics. We first look at the theoretical aspects of network economics using a game-theoretical approach. We derive some results on games on networks and network…

This chapter describes the monetary and fiscal policy frameworks in Sweden and analyses how they were established as well as current challenges. Sweden provides a good example of how deep economic cri…

In recent years, the term “transparency” has emerged as one of the most popular and keenly-touted concepts around. In the economic-political debate, the principle of transparency is often advocated as…

Entrepreneurs perform a central function in today’s decentralized market economies by innovating and exploring new ways to organize factors of production. They are consequently widely believed to play…

We provide an overview and synthesis of the literatures analyzing games in which players are connected via a network structure. We discuss, in particular, the impact of the structure of the network on…

When the Treaty of Maastricht took effect on 1 November 1993, it established a Common Foreign and Security Policy for the European Union (EU). The fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War…

Focusing on North–South trade relations, this chapter explores non-reciprocal trade preferences for developing countries, where the preference-receiving developing countries are not expected to make m…

This paper reviews the long run developments in the distribution of personal income and wealth. It also discusses suggested explanations for the observed patterns. We try to answer questions such as:…

The authors study the evolution of Swedish wealth taxation, since its introduction in 1911 until it was abolished in 2007. The rules concerning the valuation of assets, deductions/exemptions, and tax…

This chapter describes the evolution of capital income taxation in Sweden between 1862 and 2013, including corporate, dividends, capital gains, interest income, and wealth taxation. To illustrate this…

This chapter presents annual Swedish time series data on the top marginal tax wedge and marginal tax wedges on labor income for low-, average-, and high-income earners for the period 1862–2013. The ta…

This chapter studies the evolution of Swedish inheritance taxation from its inception in 1885 to its abolishment in 2004. The basic principles of the tax, including underlying ideas and ambitions, tax…

This chapter gives an introduction to the development of taxation in Sweden from 1862 to 2013, which is examined right through the volume. The contributions in this volume cover six key aspects of the…

This study analyses different forms of discrimination towards individuals in the labor market. In particular, it examines the potential for discrimination of sexual orientation, religion, and physical…

This chapter presents annual Swedish time series data regarding consumption taxes; that is, the indirect taxation of goods and services, for the 1862–2013 period. As a share of total state tax revenue…

This chapter examines the development and role of real estate taxation in Sweden during the period between 1862 and 2010. Real estate has historically been taxed at both the local and state levels in…

For several decades, Sweden has had a relatively high voter turnout, both in relation to the first half of the 20th century and in comparison with other countries. Still, even in this high-turnout con…

This chapter presents historical evidence about Swedish stock prices, dividends, and yields on government fixed-interest securities. Monthly returns are presented since 1901 for stocks, since 1874 for…

In this report, we study the ownership structure of large Finnish firms. We make an overview of the evolution of corporate ownership in Finland from the 1970s to today, and contrast the Finnish settin…

There is an on-going debate as to whether health is negatively affected by economic inequality. Still, we have limited knowledge of the mechanisms relating inequality to individual health and very lit…

We compare four approaches to network neutrality and network management regulation in a two-sided market model: (i) no variations in Quality of Service and no price discrimination; (ii) variations in…

The purpose of this study is to present to readers with limited training in economics the perspective that most international trade economists bring to the study of trade agreements. It focuses on the…

The chapter is about product market reforms and incentives to innovate in Sweden. The authors suggest a number of reforms to enhance economic developments in Sweden, including increased government sup…

The primary objective of most trade agreements is to restrain members' use of trade policies for protectionist purposes. But it would be pointless to restrict the application of border instruments wit…

In this chapter we analyze the role of financial factors in the underlaking of cross-border acquisitions. We discuss financial firm-specific advantages as drivers of these acquisilions as well as the…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the legal possibility for WTO Members to use trade remedies in the form of BTAs/BCAs against other WTO Member, without pronouncing on the policy question concer…

Since emerging from a severe contraction in the early 1990s, the Swedish economy has accumulated a strong record of output growth, outpacing the average growth rate in the Organization for Economic Co…