Entrepreneurship in a Globalised Economy
What does globalisation mean for small and medium-sized firms, SMEs, innovation and entrepreneurship? In a new report to the Sewdish Globalisation Council a number of international and national researchers in the field of innovation, entrepreneurship and SMEs give their views on what globalisation mean from different perspectives.
Environmental Effects of International Trade
Is globalization bad for the environment? A new report to the Swedish Globalisation council considers whether globalisation has damaged environmental goals. Evidence does suggest that trade and growth can exacerbate environmental degradation, particularly CO2 emissions (carbon dioxide). Jeffrey Frankel recommends specific border measures to address leakage that need not necessarily violate the WTO or sensible trade principles.
Cluster Policy and Swedish Competitiveness in the Global Economy
How can cluster-based economic policy help Sweden succeed in global competition? A new expert report for the Swedish Globalisation council suggests that cluster policies may serve to alleviate defined weaknesses in Swedish economy, such as a low level of entrepreneurship. The author outlines specific recommendations on how policy should be designed to improve cluster dynamics and how the fundamentals can be changed to make the emergence of strong clusters more likely.
Economic Globalization and Swedish Pensions
How will ongoing increasing economic globalisation affect the workings of the pension system? In a report for The Swedish Globalisation Council Peter Diamond analyses the effects of globalisation on the functioning of the Swedish pension system. The author emphasizes that the Swedish pension system by and large is well designed. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement and a number of concrete reforms are proposed.
Sweden 2060 - benefits and challenges of globalisation
Globalisation will have dramatic effects on the Swedish economy - and by and large, positive ones according to Kjetil Bjorvatn, Victor D. Norman and Linda Orvedal, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. The entry of China and India into the world economy has already benefited Swedish consumers and will continue to do so on an even larger scale in the decades ahead. The total gain to the Swedish economy is calculated to be in the range of 25 per cent of GDP if the Swedish economy can cope with the structural change needed.
Live and let die - industrial policy in a globalised world
It is often claimed that industrial policies are an essential ingredient in policy-making for any country that aims at sustaining and increasing a competitive industrial sector. But does a small, open European economy actually need an industrial policy? In the report, Live and let die - industrial policy in a globalised world, the challenges facing industrial policy makers in the 21st century are analyzed and policy conclusions drawn. The author emphasizes two major challenges that face policy makers: First, to give well-targeted measures the correct design. Second, to observe that efficient industrial policy is often about not doing anything.
Is free migration compatible with a generous welfare state?
Taking Sweden as the point of departure, Philippe Legrain, London School of Economics, analyses to what extent rich-country welfare states act as magnets for migrants from poorer countries as well as the net impact of immigration on public finances. He claims that the benefits are potentially huge and that migration should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat. The Swedish government's reform of immigration law in 2008 is a big step forward but to realise the full potential of immigration, further liberalisation is needed.
