| 1. |
- Berger, Thor, et al.
(author)
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Locomotives of local growth: The short- and long-term impact of railroads in Sweden
- 2017
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In: Journal of Urban Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1095-9068 .- 0094-1190. ; 98, s. 124-138
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper studies the impact of railroads on 150 years of urban growth in Sweden, identifying the short- and long-term effects of a first wave of railroad construction. Difference-in-differences and instrumental variable estimates show that towns that gained access experienced substantial relative increases in population, though such growth mainly reflected a relocation of economic activity. Over the twentieth century, we find little evidence of convergence in town populations, despite the railroad network expanding further to connect nearly all towns. Evidence on historical investments and present-day factors is consistent with the idea that the transitory shock of the first railroads gave rise to path dependence in the location of economic activity.
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| 2. |
- Collantes, Fernando, et al.
(author)
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In memoriam : Lennart Schön, 1946-2016
- 2016
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In: Investigaciones de Historia Economica. - : Asociacion Espanola De Historia Economica. - 1698-6989. ; 12:2, s. 67-67
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 3. |
- Enflo, Kerstin, et al.
(author)
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Balancing east and west: Evidence from Finland’s regional GDPs, 1880–2010
- 2018. - 1
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In: The Economic Development of Europe's Regions : A Quantitative History since 1900 - A Quantitative History since 1900. - 9780429449789 ; , s. 103-128
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- During the last two centuries, Finland has undergone a dramatic transformation: from one of Europe’s poorer and more peripheral countries, to a fast-growing high-tech economy. Finland has proven successful in reaping the benefits of openness to trade by moving up the value-added ladder. The country went from being a supplier in furs and tar in the pre-industrial era, to industrializing by exporting sawn goods, pulp and paper. In the post-war period, a definite transition to high-value-added exports took place, with companies such as UPM (bio-and forest industries), Kone (elevators and escalators) and Nokia (mobile telephony) reaching world recognition.
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| 4. |
- Enflo, Kerstin, et al.
(author)
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Between Malthus and the industrial take-off: regional inequality in Sweden, 1571-1850
- 2017
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The causes and extent of regional inequality in the process of economic growth are at the core of historical economic research. So far, much attention has been devoted to studying the role of industrialization in driving regional divergence. But empirical studies on relatively unequal countries such as Italy or Spain show that inequality was already high when their modern industrialization began (Felice, 2011; Rosés et al., 2010). This paper studies the extent and drivers of pre-industrial inequality for the first time with reference to a pre-industrial European economy. Using new estimates of regional GDP for the regions of Sweden for the period 1571-1850 (Enflo and Missiaia, 2017), we find that regional inequality increased dramatically between 1571 and 1750 and stayed high until the mid-19th century. This result discards the view that industrial take-off was the main driver of regional divergence. Decomposing the Theil index for GDP per worker, we find that the bulk of inequality from 1750 onwards was driven by structural differences across sectors rather than different regional productivity within sectors. We then show that counties with higher agricultural productivity followed a classic Malthusian pattern in its population dynamics when experiencing technological advancement, while ones with higher industrial productivity did not. The difference in the two sectors is what boosted pre-industrial regional inequality. We suggest that institutional factors such as the creation of the Swedish Empire, the monopoly trading rights for Stockholm and the protective industrial policy explain this exceptional pattern.
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| 5. |
- Enflo, Kerstin, et al.
(author)
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Can Kings Create Towns that Thrive? The long-term implications of new town foundations
- 2019
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In: Journal of Urban Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1095-9068 .- 0094-1190. ; 112, s. 50-69
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We examine the long-term effects of a series of Swedish towns founded by the Crown during the early modern period. Their advantage over rural parishes consisted in having monopoly rights to trade with the local hinterland. Since the optimum sites were occupied by medieval towns, the Crown could only aim for second-rate locations. Using difference-in-difference combined with Propensity Score Matching, we find that a reduction in the distance to town increased gross production and population up to 30-40 km away. However, there is no evidence of increasing per capita production or yields. These natural constraints could only support a sluggish growth in the towns themselves. However, after the Industrial Revolution, the towns began to thrive. We argue that town status signalled the commitment of the Crown to nurture these locations creating positive expectations despite their natural constraints. During industrialization, agglomeration economies led them to become significantly large urban areas persistent until today.
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| 6. |
- Enflo, Kerstin, et al.
(author)
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Coping with Regional Inequality in Sweden: Structural Change, Migrations and Policy, 1860-2000
- 2015
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In: Economic History Review. - : Wiley. - 1468-0289 .- 0013-0117. ; 68:1, s. 191-217
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In many countries, regional income inequality has followed an inverted U-shaped curve, growing during industrialisation and market integration and declining thereafter. By contrast, Sweden’s regional inequality dropped from 1860 to 1980 and did not show this U-shaped pattern. Accordingly, today’s regional income inequality in Sweden is lower than in other European countries. We note that the prime mover behind the long-run reduction in regional income differentials was structural change, whereas neo-classical and technological forces played a relatively less important role. However, this process of regional income convergence can be divided into two major periods. During the first period (1860-1940), the unrestricted action of market forces, particularly the expansion of markets and high rates of internal and international migrations, led to the compression of regional income differentials. In the subsequent period (1940-2000), the intended intervention of successive governments appears to have also been important for the evolution of regional income inequality. Regional convergence was intense from 1940 to 1980. In this period, governments aided the convergence in productivity among industries and the reallocation of the workforce from the declining to the thriving regions and economic sectors. During the next period (1980-2000), when regional incomes diverged, governments subsidised firms and people in the declining areas.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Enflo, Kerstin, et al.
(author)
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From Conflict to Compromise : The importance of mediation in Swedish work stoppages 1907-1927
- 2018
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Institutions for prevention and resolution of labor market conflicts were introduced all over the world in the early twentieth century. In this paper we analyze the impact of mediation on compromise outcomes in Swedish labor market conflicts, using a dataset of geo-coded strikes and lockouts from 1907 to 1927. Causality is identified by using the distance from the mediator's residence to the conflict as an instrument. Despite their limited authority and access to economic resources, the presence of mediators in a conflict resulted in about 30 per cent higher probability of a compromise outcome. Mediation was more likely to work as intended in settings where conflicting parties recognized each other and struggled over a prize that could be divided. The results suggest that mediation could have paved the way for a cooperative atmosphere in local labor markets. At the national level such an atmosphere was clearly manifested in the General Agreement in 1938 and with the rise of the Swedish Model.
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| 9. |
- Enflo, Kerstin, et al.
(author)
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From conflict to compromise: The importance of mediation in Swedish work stoppages 1907-1927
- 2019
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In: European Review of Economic History. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1474-0044 .- 1361-4916. ; 23:3, s. 268-298
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Institutions for prevention and resolution of industrial conflicts were introduced all over the world in the early twentieth century. We use a new dataset of geocoded strikes and lockouts to analyze the impact of mediation on conflict outcomes in Sweden for the period 1907–1927. Causality is identified by using the distance from the mediator’s place of residence to the conflict as an instrument. Despite the mediators’ limited authority we find that their involvement in a conflict resulted in about 30 percent higher probability of a compromise. The results add support to institutionalist accounts of the origins of the Swedish Model.
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| 10. |
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