A party with a democratic tradition The Liberals carry a historical heritage that few Swedish parties can match. When the party was called the People's Party, liberal forces contributed to voting rights reforms and political modernization. With support from liberal voters, the Social Democrat Hjalmar Branting was able to take a seat in the Riksdag as early as 1896. This history shows that the will to social reform and liberal freedom have long been…
Category: The free market
The crisis of hyperglobalization – and the path to a new green Bretton Woods
The crisis of hyperglobalization finally arrived. For several decades, the world had been governed by one idea: that more trade, more deregulation and more global capital mobility would automatically lead to prosperity. In the report “Out of the Ashes into the Fire,” Stefan de Vylder calls the period from 1980 to 2016 the era of hyperglobalization – an era in which the economy became increasingly…
“Goody, Goody Two Shoes” – the perfect swear word
“Goody, Goody Two Shoes” – the perfect insult for anyone who wants to take someone down a notch. And not just anyone, but the type who seems to float through life on a wave of superior excellence. We all know someone – or at least we’ve come across them. But where does this come from…
Saving the world starts with local protests
How do we save democracy, world peace, the climate and nature? Democracy wins the people and vulnerable groups through local protests historically. If they are of sufficient public interest, they spread. Today's capital is built on fragile international systems such as just-in-time. These are very sensitive to disruptions. If local protests spread, this could have a major effect. Could red-green…
Nobel Prize on Power and Progress
An ideology in power that favors workers must guide technological development. It determines whether we get a fairer world. Technological progress has not always meant better working conditions or higher wages for everyone. We need to develop innovations that help workers become better at their tasks, not just replace them with automation. Then the technology would…
Why are Americans so dissatisfied and Trump-positive despite a good labor market
Why are Americans so unhappy? High costs create dissatisfaction in the US despite positive economic news during the Biden administration according to Robert Reich. Reich was the former Democratic Labor Secretary in the United States Expensive housing, food prices and child care Despite positive economic indications, including growth of 3.3 percent in the last quarter of 2023 and an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent,…
Work for all provides a more stable, state-regulated mixed economy
Work for all is the goal society must have. Brilliant text on the benefits of full employment and its positive side effects. Niklas Blomqvist questions the idea that the market itself can create full employment. For example, Blomqvist points out that attempts to follow this path in the last thirty years have not produced the desired results. He emphasizes that work for…
Sweden: A strong position during the financial crisis without the euro
No euro helped Sweden's economy Sweden has historically chosen to stay outside the eurozone. This decision has given the country some financial flexibility and freedom of action in times of crisis. A clear example of this was the financial crisis. The affected world economy in 2008/2009. During this period, Sweden was in a position where we could pursue an expansive monetary policy to...
The truth about immigration
Integration is an investment – not a cost. Although it sometimes takes up to 5-8 years for refugee immigrants to get a firm grip on the labor market, it is significantly shorter than for many native Swedes without higher education. Young Swedes often try their luck in their 20s and 30s between temporary jobs, unemployment, and studies before they…
Good pensions require progressive taxes and adequate government deficits
It is always today's production capacity that pays for today's pensions via taxes. Vote for good pensions and work for an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable future. Pensions require sustainable production A system with sufficient progressive taxes and government deficits/that the government creates money instead of the banks doing it via lending (read about deficits here) can...