Tuesday, June 28, 2011

"Five economic lessons from Sweden, the rock star of the recovery" plus Obama and the Swedish Model

From the Washington Post:
Almost every developed nation in the world was walloped by the financial crisis, their economies paralyzed, their prospects for the future muddied.
And then there’s Sweden, the rock star of the recovery.

This Scandinavian nation of 9 million people has accomplished what the United States, Britain and Japan can only dream of: Growing rapidly, creating jobs and gaining a competitive edge. The banks are lending, the housing market booming. The budget is balanced.

Sweden was far from immune to the global downturn of 2008-09. But unlike other countries, it is bouncing back. Its 5.5 percent growth rate last year trounces the 2.8 percent expansion in the United States and was stronger than any other developed nation in Europe. And compared with the United States, unemployment peaked lower (around 9 percent, compared with 10 percent) and has come down faster (it now stands near 7 percent, compared with 9 percent in the U.S.).

Some of the reasons for the Swedish success are as unique to the nation as its citizens’ predilection for Abba, pickled herring and minimalist furniture. But there are plenty of lessons for other countries as they struggle to find a pathway toward prosperity....MORE
I saw a couple links yesterday but let's give the tip d'chapeau to Alphaville

Oddly enough one of our top ten posts this month is from 2009, "Obama: Swedish Model Would Be Impossible Here".

Who'd have thought that so many people were interested in the Sveriges Riksbank response to the 1992 bank crisis?:
From ClusterStock:
Eventually the government might be forced to nationalize a large swath of the banking sector, but they'll be dragged kicking and screaming. Yesterday's non-bailout announcement aimed to preserve the status quo, and Obama himself dismissed the idea that the US could adopt the Swedish model in an interview with ABC...
Pity.



The Swedish Model