Mats Lundahl

Gustav Cassel once declared that his production was so extensive and widespread that no one would be able to write his complete biography. Much the same could be said about his favourite student and successor as professor at Stockholm University, Gunnar Myrdal—1051 publications up to 1976 (Bohrn, 1976)—with the addition that this task is perhaps even harder in view of everything that has been written about Myrdal. Nonetheless, a Myrdal biography is now available, written by Claes Berg, former chief economist at the Swedish Riksbank.

We explore the challenges facing the current academic training of economists in small European countries such as Sweden. The monolithic focus on publishing in the top-ve journals, which prioritizes methodological rigor over problem-driven research, is often a threat to social relevance and policy applicability. This limits pluralism, excludes many talented economists, and fails to prepare graduates for nonacademic positions. We propose a two-track model for PhD training and academic evaluation, emphasizing both traditional research and applied economic policy, tailored to the diverse needs of academia, public administration, and business. We also argue for broader evaluation criteria, enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration, and institutional reforms, including trial lectures and specialized research institutes. By diversifying incentives, we recommend a shift towards socially relevant and more inclusive education and practice in the discipline of economics.

Under senare tid har incitamentsstrukturen för doktorander och forskare i nationalekonomi kraftigt förändrats. Förändringen utgör ett hot mot ämnets framtida utveckling och ställning i vårt land. Inom dagens svenska nationalekonomiforskning präglas meritvärderingen av ett alltför stort fokus på att publicera i de fem högst rankade tidskrifterna. Sannolikheten att få in en artikel i topp fem är dock låg och den samhällsekonomiska kostnaden för befordringssystemet, i termer av utslagning, är följaktligen hög. Andra befordringskriterier än enbart topp fem-publiceringar bör vara vägledande. En ökad bredd bland forskande ekonomer gynnar svensk nationalekonomi på sikt.

Bo Södersten var kontroversiell hela sitt liv, som nationalekonom, riksdagsman för Socialdemokraterna och, inte minst, provocerande debattör. Hans specialområde var internationell ekonomi, men hans publikationer spänner över ett mycket bredare fält än så. Hans styrka var tillämpad ekonomi vilket han visade inte minst i sina skrifter om svensk ekonomi och politik. Bo Södersten var professor i nationalekonomi i Göteborg 1971–77 och i internationell ekonomi i Lund 1977–96.

During the transition from a wartime to a peacetime economy in the mid-1940s, Sweden experienced a heated debate on economic planning in which a number of Sweden’s leading economists were involved. In 1941, Ingvar Svennilson, a member of the so-called Stockholm school of economists, became the head of the Industrial Institute of Economic and Social Research, founded by Swedish industry. During the following years he wrote extensively on the issue of economic planning. Although this issue was ideologically explosive, he managed to strike a balance which earned him respect in most camps. His focus gradually shifted from central planning during the war, toward framework planning and indicative planning after the war, when he designed the first Swedish long-term survey.