SNS Economic Policy Group Report 1997. The Swedish Model under Stress

Torben M. Andersen Thorvaldur Gylfason (ed.) Seppo Honkapohja Arne Jon Isachsen John Williamson

Why is there virtually no unemployment in the Czech Republic or in Thailand. Why do some economies grow rapidly over long periods, rushing up the international income ladder, while others languish? Why have some countries managed to embark on radical economic and institutional reforms in recent years, while for others it has been business as usual despite serious economic problems?

From the perspective of the persistent double-digit unemployment and sluggish economic growth that have plauged Sweden in the 1990s, the authors examine whether there are new lessons to be drawn from the experience of the most succesful economies in the world in recent years. Success, the authors believe, may provide better guidance into the future than failure. In this spirit, they attempt to illuminate the economic problems of Sweden from new angles.