IFN in the Press

The Detroit News is writing about Hillary Clinton's speech about "quarterly capitalism" and an article in The National Review. The paper refers to research by Alexander Ljungqvist, NUY and affiliated to IFN.

Michael Farren argues in The San Francisco Examiner that "if San Francisco’s residents and city leaders want to solve their never-ending affordable housing shortage, they should ... reduce housing regulations and 'unleash the cranes'.” In this context he refers to a quotation by Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University: “Next to bombing, rent control seems in many cases to be the most efficient technique so far known for destroying cities.”

"I’ve been trying to make sense of the recent push, from Hillary Clinton and others on the left, against what’s been dubbed 'quarterly capitalism,' or the alleged tendency of publicly held companies to act in the short-term interests of speculators" Reihan Salam writes in National Review. He refers to research by Alexander Ljungqvist, NYU and affiated to IFN: "They find that privately held firms invest more than similar publicly held firms, which implies that the demands of the stock market are leading publicly held firms to underinvest."

"There are some things that economists really do generally agree upon. In fact, the number 1 on the list is about rent control" writes Forbes, refering to a quotation by Assar Lindbeck, Stockholm University and IFN: “In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing.”

Vox writes about a speech by Hillary Clinton at NYU's Stern Business School: "Hillary Clinton plans to finger what she considers a key impediment to long-term economic growth: 'quarterly capitalism'." In this context research by Alexander Ljungqvist, NYU and affiliated to IFN, is mentioned: "They found that 'compared to private firms, public firms invest substantially less and are less responsive to changes in investment opportunities" and that this happens "especially in industries in which stock prices are most sensitive to earnings news'."

Edmund S. Phelps, winner of the 2006 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, believes that many of us in the West "feel that our economies are far from just". When exp0laining the progress he mentions research by Assar Lindbeck, Stockholm University and IFN: "Two economists, Stanley Fischer and Assar Lindbeck, wrote of a “Great Productivity Slowdown,” which they saw as beginning in the late 1960s."

At Vox, CEPR's Policy Portal, writes Eleonora Patacchini, Pierre M. Picard, Yves Zenou (affiliated to IFN) how social interactions are affected by geographical distance. They argue that students tend to interact more with those who are highly central in the network of social contacts, and who are geographically closer

The crowd continues to ignore the role of the dollar, debt, and deflation, asserts Nicholas P. Cheer in Seeking Alpha. He refers to a paper by Andreas Bergh and Magnus Henrekson, IFN: "Government Size and Growth: A Survey and Interpretation of the Evidence". Cheers writes that in this study it is "determined that as government size increases, GDP growth declines".

"How to Destroy a City. No, we are not talking about council planning in Auckland," writes Scoop. Instead it is a question of "whether rent controls would be a good thing. David Seymour quoted Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck [IFN], who observed that rent controls are the best way to destroy a city, second only to bombing it."

The Attorney General has cleared the way for temporary rent controls, writes Irish Independent. The author argues: "Just look at Stockholm, for examples, for the harm that a rent ceiling can inflict on a city." He quotes Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University, saying that "rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city - except for bombing".

Matti Keloharju, Aalto University School of Business and affiliated to IFN, has earned an honorable mentioning by AQR Insight Award for his research on “Common Factors in Return Seasonalities”.
 

In this op-ed Johan Wennström, IFN, argues that while Sweden is engulfed by international beggars nothing is done to make changes as the political elites share the worldview of the Left. "The Left, which traditionally has championed the welfare state and the abolition of poverty, now defends the “right” to beg in the streets. Degradation is reinterpreted as empowerment and getting a leg up in a prosperous society."

"The frontrunners for the Labour leadership offer no change from the washed up 1970s style Leftism of Ed Miliband. Only Kendall has a broad appeal", writes Cambridge University’s independent student newspaper. When commenting on rent control, Varsity quotes Assar Lindbeck, IFN och Stockholm University saying that ‘‘next to bombing,[rent control is] the most efficient technique so far known for destroying cities’’.

Writing about the death of the Nobel Prize winner Johan Nash, The Independant, quotes Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University, the former chairman of the committee for the Nobel Prize in Economics: “We helped lift him into the daylight,” Lindbeck told Sylvia Nasar, Nash’s biographer. “We resurrected him in a way.”

The Tyee, Vancouver, Canada, writes about the Finnish school system referring to Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator, that "has been evangelizing about his country's schools for years" and Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, affiliated to IFN, who challenges conventional wisdom regarding the reasons for Finland’s education success.

The Quadrant online writes about the burdens of regulation noting that "little disincentives and distractions add up". The author refers to "an important paper" published by IFN and Christian Bjørnskov, affilated to IFN, about the relationship between standard measures of economic freedom and economic crises. "As Bjørnskov finds, a high degree of economic freedom does little to prevent countries from suffering an economic crisis. But the degree to which an economy is free is a very important factor..."

The typical Danish boardroom is becoming less of an old boys’ club as more and more women and foreigners take up board positions in the nation’s largest firms, writes The Local, quoting Lars Oxelheim, IFN, being interview in the Danish daily paper Politiken. “The logic is clear: If you’re a small country with a small language, you really win a lot by bringing on a foreign board member.”

Introduced amidst widespread expectations that it would raise standards, Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) appears to be struggling with even the basics, writes Andrew Denholm. He refers to a study about the Finnish school system by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, IFN. Scotland copied some of the modern Finnish features and Sahlgren argues that the success of Finland's education system was actually based on an earlier more standardised, traditional approach and recent reforms were actually undermining its success.

Reason is an American monthly magazine. Stating that "new research demonstrates the amazing power of open markets and open borders" the writer argues that a study by Andreas Bergh and Therese Nilsson, IFN, that "economic globalization significantly boosts life expectancy, especially in developing countries".

Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics is reviewing Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State by Andreas Bergh. "Bergh truly does a great job at dispelling myths about the Swedish welfare state" Per Bylund writes. "He [Bergh] is perhaps too dedicated to the institutional explanation and a little too reluctant to speculate on possible explanations, but there should be no doubt that this book is a very nice contribution to our understanding of the reality of the welfare state in contrast to progressive mythology."

"According to Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck [IFN], 'next to bombing, rent control is the most effective way to destroy a city.' He might have been talking about London in 2015" writes Breitbart London. "Labour leader Ed Miliband’s proposed cap on rents isn’t just a silly attempt to garner tenant votes."

Pasi Sahlberg writes that it's a myth that Finland's education system is in decline because of the adoption of progressive student-centred approaches to teaching and learning. Sahlberg argues that Gabriel Heller Sahlgren's (IFN) analysis in the report Finnish Lessons "contradict ... most educational research findings about new pedagogy and deeper learning from around the world".

The Labour leader has announced that as British Prime Minister he would prevent those letting out their properties from increasing rents above the rate of inflation (which means a price freeze, since inflation is now zero). When reporting this numerous papers have quoted Assar Lindbeck, IFN and Stockholm University, saying that "Rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city, except for bombing."

Brisbane Business News writes about "a 'brain drain' afflicting the Australian economy, and while inroads have been made with our startup ecosystem, StartupAUS says the government still has a lot to answer for". The site refers to research by IFN showing that small business is worlds apart from startups.

"You could be forgiven for assuming that the Great Recession of 2008 and recent increases in worldwide food prices would have caused significantly more people around the world to slip into poverty ... But according to the World Bank, that’s not what’s happened" writes Social Justice Solutions, referring to researcher Andreas Bergh, IFN.

"Class warriors on the left argue that the United States should be more like Sweden, and we agree: Senate Republicans should move forward with a plan to repeal the inheritance tax..." writes National Review. "... in Sweden as in the US, the bloody-minded support for the tax on the left has never been a question of raising government revenue; instead, it is “primarily related to an ideology of redistribution” and the “ideological momentum of the Social Democrats,” as Sweden’s Research Institute of Industrial Economics put it."

James Pethokoukis writes about what happens when a private-equity firm buys out a company. "Who loses their job and why? That’s the subject of “Private Equity, Layoffs, and Job Polarization” by Martin Olsson and Joacim Tåg [IFN]".

Finland has been the poster child for education reform,writes BBC News when presenting a report authored by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, affiliated to IFN: Real Finnish Lessons: The true story of an education superpower. "Mr Sahlgren argues that Finland's star performance in the 2000 Pisa tests was built on the legacy of an older, very traditional education system, which had been part of the country's process of nation building."

Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, affiliated to IFN, explains in an op-ed in the Times that "Finland’s old-school culture is in decline, catching up with the economic transformation and generating less learning-oriented attitudes". In the wake of the slipping Finnish performance Heller Sahlgren explains that "the only relevant policy lesson appears to be the danger of throwing out authority in schools and especially the wholesale implementation of pupil-led instruction, today embraced worldwide".

Real Finnish Lessons: The true story of an education superpower, by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren

"Finland's longstanding reputation as a progressive innovator in education may be coming to an end" writes SI News refering to a report witten by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, director of research at the Centre for Market Reform of Education and affiliated to IFN. The title of the report being: Real Finnish lessons.

Relocate Global writes: "In the report Real Finnish Lessons: The true story of an education superpower, published by right wing think tank, Centre for Policy Studies, author Gabriel Heller Sahlgren challenges conventional wisdom regarding the reasons for Finland’s remarkable education success."

Daily Mail writes about a new report by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, affiliated to IFN: Real Finnish Lessons: The true story of an education superpower. "Britain should be wary of adopting trendy pupil-led teaching techniques from Scandinavia because they may be making standards worse, a new report claims."

Andrew J. Coulson writes about the report Real Finnsih Lessons by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, who is affiliated to IFN. Coulson concludes: "... Finland has been slipping in the rankings on the PISA test in recent years ... And, as will be revealed in a forthcoming paper by Gabriel Sahlgren, the introduction of the most celebrated Finnish education policies does not support the view that they aided its rise on the PISA test, due to their timing."

Risk Management writes about retirement seen from different aspects.  A 2013 report by Gabriel Sahlgren, affiliated to IFN, states that while retirees’ health improves in the first year or two of retirement, it then declines quicker compared to people of the same age who still work. “We need to rethink the retirement-work balance because we are at a turning point for what that is going to mean in the future,” Sahlgren said.

What’s the link between entrepreneurship and the welfare state? asks journalist and blogger James Pethokoukis: "Indeed, as researchers Magnus Henrekson and Tino Sanandaji [IFN] have pointed out, high rates of self employment can be a sign of economic weakness since taxes and regulation are impeding the ability of startups to become large, successful companies.

Economists can no longer ignore the fact that people’s opinions are all influenced by friends and acquaintances, writes the Economist. Adding that "unfortunately, social networks also exacerbate bad behaviour". The magazine refers to the study "Criminal Networks: Who is the Key Player?". Yves Zenou, IFN and Stockholm University is one of the authors of this paper.

Professor Tyler Cowen writes about research by Niclas Berggren and Therese Nilsson, both IFN: "One of their most striking findings is that societies characterized by greater economic freedom and greater wealth do indeed exhibit greater tolerance toward gay people, a tendency suggesting that gay rights, including gay marriage, will spread globally as national economies liberalize and develop."

Sweden’s IFN has undertaken a fascinating project, to bring together and to analyse what seems to be the longest single-country span of tax data ever compiled, writes Alex Cobham. Adding tha "the paper, and the project, represent exactly the type of work that, as Morten Jerven has pointed out, is necessary to complement the improvement in cross-country data represented by the ICTD’s Government Revenue Dataset.

Swedish students used to lead international rankings, but the country’s education standards have been declining for years, writes The Economist in a blog-post. Critics of vouchers blame school choice for these dismal results. But there are good reasons to believe the problem is not school choice, argues The Economist referring to research by Karin Edmark, IFN: "The authors find that school choice has had a small, but positive impact, particularly for minority and low-income students."

"The centre-right government of Fredrik Reinfeldt has been a great success, yet voters may well eject it in favour of the Social Democrats" writes the Economist. "Mr Borg warns loudly against tax rises by the centre-left. He supports choice and rejects claims that private provision of public services has reduced quality. Most independent analysts agree, and a new book backs them up*. The new book is mentioned: Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State by Andreas Bergh, IFN.

Andreas Bergh, IFN, is the author of the book Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State. I this article he argues that the French economist Thomas Piketty’s theories revolve around the classic conflict between labour and capital. Though, he writes, "the success of a country like Sweden is that this conflict has been transformed into a symbiotic relationship."

At a seminar organized by IFN a new book about the teaching profession by Johan Wennström was presented. "It is high time to start talking about the teaching profession as a vocation again" said Wennström.  Isn't that a ticket to low pay for teachers? No, said Wennström, there is no contradiction between working for duty and a calling, and having a good pay.

The Times is writing about a new report authored by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, who is affiliated to IFN. Sahlgren argues that "sending more children to private school would add billions of pounds to Britain’s economy". Increased competition between independent schools could have raised GDP by £5,800 per person, the report claims.

The Adam Smith Institute said that independent schools represent one of the cheapest ways for the government to improve exam results and pupils' potential earnings. The study, by Gabriel Heller Sahlgren (affiliated to IFN), showed how competition among Holland’s independent schools had developed higher international test scores, while driving costs down.

Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, Research Director at the Centre for Market Reform of Education, and Affiliated Researcher at IFN writes about his own report: "The benefits of higher education quality are very large. My calculations suggest that if the UK had performed at the level of Taiwan in international tests since the mid-20th century, average annual per-capita GDP growth would have been about 0.8 percentage points higher in the period 1960-2007. This in turn means that our per-capita GDP would have been over £5,000 higher in 2007 than it was."

Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, affiliated to IFN, argues that the reading of the evidence is disastrous when dealing with Swedish school choice and test results. He refutes Professor Ray Fisman's statement that school choice reforms have been one reason behind Sweden’s fall in international test scores.

In the early 1990s, Sweden introduced one of the most ambitious school-voucher systems in the world. In National Review Online Tino Sanandaji, IFN, weighs in on the debate over Sweden’s school performance and the role played by this voucher program. Sanandaji claims that the Swedish school crisis can not be attributed to Sweden's embrace of school choice.

Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, affiliated to IFN, writes in the British Education Investor (June/July issue) that "it is time to end the national ban on profit-making companies owning and operatingstate-funded schools in England, and let them drive the progress in education just as theyv have done in the economy at large." He explains that as a general rule, "we should pursue experiments before scaling policy up to the national level, and this applies here too". Sahlgrensuggests that by allowing randomised trials in certain areas, "we could rigorously test the impact of profits in the English context; given the existing evidence, only the ideological zealot could argue in favour of a complete ban on profits in schools".

A study of 1.3 million Swedish men found—not too surprisingly–that chief executives score highly on measures of intelligence and soft skills, with top scorers more likely to helm large companies. This is the foundings of a sudy on Swedish data by researchers Samuli Knupfer and Matti Keloharju, bort affiliated to IFN. "But talent isn’t the only predictor for success. CEOs in the sample tended to be taller than average" WSJ writes in a blog post.