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Gabriel H. Sahlgren, Director of Research at the Centre for Market Reform of Education and Affiliated to IFN, is editor and co-author of Tests worth teaching to: incentivising quality in qualifications and accountability. Diversity in qualifications and examinations (carried out by examination boards) is a unique feature of the UK.

Entrepreneurship was the theme of a seminar that IFN arranged Tuesday. Besides Magnus Henrekson and Joacim Tåg, IFN, Lena Apler, Chairman Collector, was part of the panel. In an introductory presentation explained Magnus Henrekson that "entrepreneurship is not about small business, but the emergence of new major corporations". Four-fifths of the self-employed have not any employees and small ambitions to grow. Henrekson commented on the economist in vogue Thomas Piketty's theories: "Piketty agree that entrepreneurs are innovative and create value, but believes they are only a few." This does not correspond with reality, he explained.

I have come to find out what others are working on and to get feedback on my own work, said Frank A. Wolak, Stanford University when asked about IFN's annual international research conference held in Vaxholm. On an annual basis a group of international scholars are invited to join researchers from IFN to discuss their own and others' research. The theme of the conference this year (June 12-13) was "The Performance of Electricity Markets." Researchers from eight countries participated in the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

"Elections in 2014 – advice by economists" is the theme of a new issue of Ekonomisk Debatt. Seven economists write about a number of hot topics, for example low teacher salaries that could be an explanation for the poor results in Swedish schools. They also give advice in regards to the importance of geographical clusters for business, the need for an ambitious climate policy and a new tax reform. The latter article was written by Åsa Hansson, IFN. Andreas Bergh, IFN, writes on "Difficulties for foreign-born in the Swedish labor market – solutions suggested by the political parties are inadequate."

Maps of segregation were generated by the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) until 2006, when there were 156 Swedish so called exclusion areas, i.e., neighborhoods characterized by profound socio-economic problems. Now, IFN-researcher Tino Sanandaji, in a report for Den Nya Välfärden, has replicated the FP method and updated the map for 2012. It turns out that the number of exclusion areas has increased to 186. Though, Tino Sanandaji explains that this increase has been slower during the Alliansen government compared to Görans Persson's (Social Democrats) last term in office. Moreover, there are some encouraging signs, including that the number of families receiving income support has dropped slightly in the exclusion areas.

The Swedish government should invest in small and risky projects only in early phases, explained Roger Svensson, IFN , when he presented a report, “ Government funding in small businesses”, published by  Timbro. He explained that Fourier Transform and InlandsInnovation, government VC funds, should be terminated as these funds invest in final stages, something that the market can bring about without tax money. Instead, Almi’s loans for innovations should be expanded, along with Almi Invest venture capital. As these two are the only funds financing exclusively small and risky projects in early stages, writes Roger Svensson in the report.

"Tax cuts affecting entrepreneurs have partially been aimed in the wrong direction," said Tino Sanandaji , IFN , when he and Magnus Henrekson, IFN, unveiled an ESO study – Entrepreneurship conditions - a new report on the Swedish equity taxation (ESO, the Expert Group for Public Economics). "With high taxes and a heavy regulatory burden more livelihood enterprises have been created [but less entrepreneurial firms with growth potential]" explained Magnus Henrekson during the debate that followed the presentation. In the report, the authors suggest, among other things, that stock option programs should be introduced allowing entrepreneurs and key employees to be rewarded for their risk taking.

For the 16th time The Swedish Network for European Studies in Economics (SNEE) is arranging a four-day research conference in Mölle, Skåne, on May 20 to 23. The initiator and driving force of this endeavor is Professor Lars Oxelheim, IFN and Lund University. The conference that opened with a speech by the Minister for Financial Markets Peter Norman, is by many described as a Nordic mini- Davos meeting. A number of researchers from IFN is presenting studies and/or are commenting on other researchers work.

Roger Svensson, IFN, is the author of a study "Successful support for R & D, innovation and entrepreneurship," which was presented by the think tank Fores on Wednesday. Roger Svensson argues that many forms of support to R & D and innovation is not working well, and that several actions are poorly evaluated. He reasons that the rules for government venture capital funds should be amended and that state funds such as Fourier transform and Inlandsinnovation should be phased out.

Policy makers should recognize that self-employment and innovative entrepreneurship are not synonymous; and that policies which encourage self-employment not necessarily promote entrepreneurship. This is the message in a brand new book SuperEntrepreneurs by Tino and Nima Sanandaji. “This book is also topical in light of the debate about increasing wealth inequality in industrialized countries” writes Professor Magnus Henrekson, IFN, in a foreword: “This report clearly demonstrates that SuperEntrepreneurs as a group has been exceptionally productive from the point of view of the rest of society."

Maryann Feldman, Heninger Distinguished Professor in the Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina, was the 2013 recipient of the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research. Now here prize lecture is published in Small Business Economics focusing on her work on the role of entrepreneurial activity in the formation of regional industry clusters.

There are no neutral compensation models. Each offers incentives and thus it is important to determine what you want to achieve, explained researcher Peter Lindgren, author of the report Reimbursement in health care - models, effects and recommendations, at a workshop on Wednesday. He asserted that different models suits different categories of care. The report is included in the IFN and SNS joint project Från välfärdsstat till välfärdssamhälle (From welfare state to a welfare society).

The most downloaded article in the scientific journal Economics Letters is written by Martin Ljunge, IFN. More than 1,500 people have so far downloaded the article published in the first issue of 2014. Ljunge writes about how democracy fosters trust. He has studied trust among second-generation immigrants and correlates it with democracy in the father's country of birth. He notes that democratic institutions have a positive effect on cultural norms, which are important to promote both prosperity and health.

On Tuesday a new research report was presented – Welfare services: licensing, supervision and monitoring, authored by Eva Hagbjer. The report is published by SNS (Centre for Business and Policy Studies) within the framework of the joint project between IFN and SNS From Welfare State to Welfare Society. In the report the rules that ensure quality of welfare services are identified. Eva Lindström commented on the report saying that “it's impressive". Lindström is chairperson of a committee on ownership assessment (ägarprövningutredningen) with the mission to propose requirements that may be imposed on owners in the welfare sector.

During 2014 Richard Öhrvall, Statistics Sweden (SCB) and IFN, will be blogging about the upcoming elections in the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. The blog's title is Three hundred and twelve. Why? "During 2014 we have 312 elections: Elections in 290 municipalities, 20 county councils/regions, Swedish parliament and the European parliament," explains Richard Öhrvall who is at the same time writing his thesis in political science at Linköping University. The subject is political participation.
 

Gabriel Sahlgren, Research Director at the Centre for Market Reform of Education, London, and affiliated researcher at IFN will speak before the British Education Committee in parliament on Wednesday March 19. The topic is "Academies and free schools". The purpose of the session "is to explore whether academisation has had a positive impact on student attainment."

The IAEE Best Paper Awards committee has selected a working paper authored by Sara Fogelberg and Ewa Lazarczyk, both IFN, to receive a student paper award at the 37th IAEE International Conference. In addition to this award Sara Fogelberg and Ewa Lazarczyk will compete with three further recipients for the “Best Paper Award” that will be revealed at conference in June 2014. The title of the paper is “Strategic Withholding through Production Failures in the Nordic Electricity Market, Nord Pool”.

The 2014 Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research is awarded to Professor Shaker Zahra, Professor of Strategy and Robert E. Buuck Chair of Entrepreneurship at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Global Award  is the leading international award in entrepreneurship research with a prize sum of EUR 100 000.

The World Bank on behalf of the Swedish Government has conducted a study of the business environment. On Monday the first part of the report was presented at a seminar in Stockholm. Augusto Lopez - Claros from the World Bank explained that Sweden is doing well, but there is room for improvement. Magnus Henrekson , IFN , commented on the report. He was content that the government now is looking into employee stock options – to facilitate start-ups. At the same time he considers the education system to be the most worrisome sector for continued growth.

Henrik Jordahl, IFN, and Mats Bergman, Södertörn University, unveiled on Thursday a new report on the Swedish market for elderly care. They reckon that "both home care and assisted living facilities [appear] as relatively appropriate to privatize." The two researchers believe that a return to public monopoly is not an answer to today’s obstacles and that the current system works fairly well but needs further improvement.