News

Daniel Waldenström was invited to speak at the European Family Business conference held in Lisbon on October 13–14. Daniel participated in two sessions. First, in a panel discussion on wealth taxation and experiences from Sweden, and then in a presentation based on his book Richer and More Equal – A New History of Wealth in the West, with a discussion on ownership and distribution as well as growth and lessons from history.

We welcome Jimmy Karlsson, a new postdoctoral researcher at IFN. Jimmy defended his dissertation on September 26 at the University of Gothenburg with the thesis The Economic Impacts of Carbon Taxation and Climate Change. His research lies at the intersection of environmental economics and labor economics, focusing on the distributional effects of the green transition across firms and workers.

On October 2–3, Hans Grönqvist organized the second workshop in the project on crime initiated by the Swedish Research Council. Around 40 researchers gathered over two days to present and discuss current research on crime, identifying significant challenges for the future.

Gordon Philipps is a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, USA. On August 27, he was invited to IFN to present current research on the topic "New Technology Sectoral Disruptions" (co-authored by Tolga Caskurlu and Gerard Hoberg). The study examines how major technological advancements affect companies and the business landscape. The results show that these advancements create significant economic value.

We welcome Johan Orrenius to IFN. Johan defended his dissertation in June 2025 at the Stockholm School of Economics with the thesis Essays on Markets: Digital Attention, Market Definitions and Education. His research focuses on applied microeconomics, digital economy, and education economics.

We congratulate Pia Nilsson, who has been appointed Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Helsinki. Pia will continue as a researcher at IFN.

On July 28–31, Lars Oxelheim participated in the  World Finance Conference in Malta. He presented a research paper co-authored with two Japanese professors on the significance of corporate governance for the green transformation.  

The Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) is launching a new research program in geoeconomics, a field that combines geographical, economic, and political factors. The program aims to analyze how rising global tensions affect trade, investment, and industrial policy, as well as how these developments influence business decisions. The research will provide decision-makers with insights through analyses, case studies, and policy recommendations. Eight researchers are participating, and several projects are already underway, including ones focused on critical raw materials, sanctions, energy security, and changing supply chains. Fredrik Sjöholm is the program director. Read more.

In early March, Andreas Bergh and Niclas Berggren, both IFN researchers, participated in the annual conference organized by the Public Choice Society, an academic association focused on political economy, founded in 1963 by, among others, Nobel Laureate James Buchanan. This year’s conference was held in Louisville, Kentucky.  In connection with the conference, Niclas Berggren was elected to the Executive Committee of the Society, which is responsible, among other things, for organizing the annual meetings. https://www.publicchoicesociety.org/about/

Lars Calmfors was invited to give a guest lecture for the Treasury, New Zealand, on March 18. The lecture is a part of the Treasury's Fiscal Policy for the Futures Series, and Lars's speech focused on Sweden's approach to a responsible fiscal policy.

Four students at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) participating in a study abroad program at the Copenhagen Business School visited IFN and Lars Calmfors on January 24 to discuss the Euro.

As part of this program, WashU Olin Business School students from various locations across Europe take part in the European Study Tour. Each group is assigned a topic related to a country within the EU. The specific topic for this group is why Sweden chose not to adopt the Euro. As part of the program, each student writes both a research paper and a research report on their assigned topic.

Fredrik Sjöholm is one of the members of the Danish Rockwool Foundation's new investment in research on productivity and competitiveness.  

With the new research unit, the Rockwool Foundation wants to contribute to long-term solutions to strengthen Europe's competitiveness and economic sustainability.

Erik Lundberg, Visiting PhD student at IFN and PhD student at Uppsala University, presented the paper "Permanent Residency Policy and Skilled Immigration: Evidence from a Swedish Reform" at the fourteenth edition of the conference series International Conference on Immigration in OECD Countries. The conference took place on 12-13 December in Boulogne Billancourt, France.    

Niclas Berggren, Associate Professor at IFN and Prague University of Economics and Business, is a new editorial board member of the Journal of Comparative Economics. 

Professor Lars Oxelheim, affiliated researcher at IFN, organized a concluding special plenary session on June 29 at the European Financial Management Association's (EFMA) 33rd Annual Conference in Lisbon on the theme of Sustainable Finance in an Age of Geopolitical and Economic Instability. The session attracted great interest at this prestigious conference, which brought together over 500 researchers from all over the world.

Since 2000, IFN has organized a yearly conference in Stockholm within areas of research of importance to IFN. This year, the research program Sustainable Energy Transition, led by Thomas Tangerås, held the conference. This research program focuses on increasing knowledge about the electricity market and its fundamental importance in achieving a sustainable energy transition.

At the meeting for the Nordic ministers for finance in Stockholm on June 3–4, Lars Calmfors participated in a lecture on economic crisis management and fiscal policy challenges in the Nordic countries. 

IFN organized a workshop at the Prague University of Economics and Business on May 23–26, 2024, within the research project “Cultures of Trust and Institutions of Freedom,” funded by the John Templeton Foundation. The workshop was organized by IFN researcher Niclas Berggren (affiliated with the Prague University of Economics and Business) and IFN-affiliated Christian Bjørnskov (Aarhus University).

Björn Tyrefors has received funding of SEK 1,700,000 for the research project "The First Long-Term Causal Evaluation of Unconditional Cash Transfers to Poor Families." The project investigates the effect of unconditional cash assistance on low-income earners and the impact of aid and assistance on children. 

Martin Ljunge has been awarded a grant of SEK 200,000 for a research visit abroad. Martin will be a visiting scholar at the University of Toronto, collaborating with Steven Riddiough on a project on immigrants' financial behavior. Martin has also been invited as a visiting scholar at Amherst College by Caroline Theoharides.

In a new bibliometric analysis of research on economic freedom, it emerges that IFN is one of the world's leading research centers in this area. It is primarily IFN researchers Niclas Berggren and Andreas Bergh, as well as Christian Bjørnskov, a Danish researcher affiliated with IFN, who have studied how the degree of market economy explains various important outcomes.