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For some, Sweden is proof that a generous welfare state is fully
compatible with a growing competitive economy. For others, it is a
frightening example of what big government can do to a once
thriving economy. Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare
State tackles a number of controversial questions regarding
Sweden's economic and political development: How did Sweden become
rich? How did Sweden become egalitarian? Why has Sweden since the
early 90s grown faster than the US and most EU-countries despite
its high taxes and generous welfare state? The author uses new
research on institutions and economic reforms to explain the rise,
the fall and the recent revival of the Swedish welfare state. The
central argument is that a generous welfare state like that of
Sweden can work well, provided that it is built on well-functioning
capitalist institutions and economic openness. The book expertly
explains how Sweden developed from a poor and highly unequal
society to one of the richest and most egalitarian countries in the
world by building a universal welfare state on a capitalist
foundation. It also engages in an important discussion about the
current and future challenges for the welfare state in general. The
book will fit well in introductory and advanced courses on welfare
state policy, social work, sociology, economic history,
institutional economics and political science. In all these
disciplines, the case of Sweden has always provoked interest and
debate, due to Sweden's combination of prosperity, equality and
extensive welfare state. The rapid pace of change in Sweden over
the last 25 years, however, means that most other books are
descriptively dated. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Prosperity and
equality: The golden years 1870-1970 3. The 'not quite so golden'
years 1970 - 1995 4. The return of the capitalist welfare state 5.
The capitalist welfare state's bloc-transcending history 6. The
consequences of increasing competition 7. The resilience of labor
market regulation and rent control 8. Challenges ahead: Can the
capitalist welfare state survive? Appendices Bibliography Index
There is a clear trend in rich countries that, despite rising
incomes and living standards, the gap between rich and poor is
widening. What does this mean for our health? Does increasing
income inequality affect outcomes such as obesity, life expectancy
and subjective well-being? Are rich and poor groups affected in the
same ways? This book reviews the latest research on the
relationship between inequality and health, and provides a
pedagogical introduction to the tools and knowledge needed to
understand and assess the vast literature on the subject. The book
includes discussion of the definitions and measurement of objective
and subjective health and income inequality, and illustrates how
various measures have been developed in different countries. Main
conclusions from the literature are then summarized and discussed
critically. It incorporates a substantial research overview of the
field, as well as a detailed debate of the empirical challenges
that arise during research. The book concludes that results are
surprisingly contradictory, but that several studies have found
that higher inequality is directly linked to lower subjective
well-being. Students and scholars in public health, social work,
economics, and sociology will find this book an essential
exposition of conceptual issues and empirical methods applied to
the controversial topic of the health consequences of inequality.
There is a clear trend in rich countries that, despite rising
incomes and living standards, the gap between rich and poor is
widening. What does this mean for our health? Does increasing
income inequality affect outcomes such as obesity, life expectancy
and subjective well-being? Are rich and poor groups affected in the
same ways? This book reviews the latest research on the
relationship between inequality and health, and provides a
pedagogical introduction to the tools and knowledge needed to
understand and assess the vast literature on the subject. The book
includes discussion of the definitions and measurement of objective
and subjective health and income inequality, and illustrates how
various measures have been developed in different countries. Main
conclusions from the literature are then summarized and discussed
critically. It incorporates a substantial research overview of the
field, as well as a detailed debate of the empirical challenges
that arise during research. The book concludes that results are
surprisingly contradictory, but that several studies have found
that higher inequality is directly linked to lower subjective
well-being. Students and scholars in public health, social work,
economics, and sociology will find this book an essential
exposition of conceptual issues and empirical methods applied to
the controversial topic of the health consequences of inequality.
For some, Sweden is proof that a generous welfare state is fully
compatible with a growing competitive economy. For others, it is a
frightening example of what big government can do to a once
thriving economy. Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare
State tackles a number of controversial questions regarding
Sweden's economic and political development: How did Sweden become
rich? How did Sweden become egalitarian? Why has Sweden since the
early 90s grown faster than the US and most EU-countries despite
its high taxes and generous welfare state? The author uses new
research on institutions and economic reforms to explain the rise,
the fall and the recent revival of the Swedish welfare state. The
central argument is that a generous welfare state like that of
Sweden can work well, provided that it is built on well-functioning
capitalist institutions and economic openness. The book expertly
explains how Sweden developed from a poor and highly unequal
society to one of the richest and most egalitarian countries in the
world by building a universal welfare state on a capitalist
foundation. It also engages in an important discussion about the
current and future challenges for the welfare state in general. The
book will fit well in introductory and advanced courses on welfare
state policy, social work, sociology, economic history,
institutional economics and political science. In all these
disciplines, the case of Sweden has always provoked interest and
debate, due to Sweden's combination of prosperity, equality and
extensive welfare state. The rapid pace of change in Sweden over
the last 25 years, however, means that most other books are
descriptively dated. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Prosperity and
equality: The golden years 1870-1970 3. The 'not quite so golden'
years 1970 - 1995 4. The return of the capitalist welfare state 5.
The capitalist welfare state's bloc-transcending history 6. The
consequences of increasing competition 7. The resilience of labor
market regulation and rent control 8. Challenges ahead: Can the
capitalist welfare state survive? Appendices Bibliography Index
As economists and policymakers strive to understand the causes of
the global financial crisis, pinpointing the relationship between
government size and economic growth is crucial. In this incisive
economic study, Andreas Bergh and Magnus Henrekson find that in
wealthy countries, where government size is measured as total taxes
or total expenditure relative to GDP, there is a strong negative
correlation between government size and economic growth-where
government size increases by 10 percentage points, annual growth
rates decrease by 0.5 to 1 percent. Bergh and Henrekson stress that
statistical correlations, even when highly significant, are not
law. Some countries with high taxes enjoy above-average growth, and
some countries with small governments have stagnant economies. The
Scandinavian welfare states, for example, have enjoyed steady
growth over the last decade despite their large governments.
However, these nations compensate for high taxes by employing
market-friendly policies in other areas, such as trade openness and
inflation control. Government Size and Economic Growth concludes
that, in every case, economic freedom is a crucial determinant of
economic growth_suggesting that government intervention in the
marketplace may be the wrong approach to solving the economic
crisis.
Why is competition between institutions usually viewed in a
negative light, when competition is considered positive in most
other economic contexts? The contributors to this volume introduce
new perspectives on this issue, analytically and empirically
exploring reasons for this perception. Negative assessments of
institutional competition emphasize that such competition may lead
to a race to the bottom in terms of eroding government revenues,
redistributing wealth from workers to capitalists, and limiting
democracy by forcing politicians to prioritize international
investment capital rather than working for their voters. In this
volume, however, many of the essays draw attention to the positive
learning and information effects. The contributors conclude that
competition may actually lead to institutions becoming more
efficient in allocating resources. Students and scholars of
economics, political economy, international relations and political
science will find the book's non-traditional take on institutional
competition a must-read, as will policy analysts and those with an
interest in taxation and welfare states.
According to virtually all international corruption rankings,
Sweden is one of the top performing countries with very few exposed
incidents of corruption. But does this automatically imply that it
can be declared a perfectly healthy patient ? By extensively
reviewing existing research and adding empirical sets of data, the
authors shed light on shady corners of the Swedish case. What do we
know about corruption in Sweden, and what can be said of such
affairs over time? Four scholars of political science and economics
describe how countries typically viewed as low-corruption states
can have particular problems that should not be underestimated nor
neglected. This is the first comprehensive study in English of
corruption in a low-corruption, mature welfare state. By revealing
causes, scope and consequences of the corruption in low-corruption
countries, the authors point out shortcomings in the international
evaluation of corruption, and suggest constructive reforms that
might curb the types of corruption occurring in healthy societies.
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