Firm Competitiveness

With higher productivity, a country can produce more goods and services using the same resources. Productivity growth is therefore crucial for long-term economic prosperity. Sweden has experienced strong productivity growth over several decades, particularly in international comparison. But since the global financial crisis of 2007–2009, this growth has slowed down.

   
Photo: Karl Gabor.

This development makes it more important than ever to understand how firms and policymakers should act to ensure that Sweden continues to host globally competitive and high-productivity firms. Much depends on labor market, energy, competition, and entrepreneurship policy. But good policy requires evidence—and evidence requires solid analysis and access to detailed data. To meet this need, the program brings together researchers in labor economics, energy economics, financial economics, and industrial organization. Our research focuses on three core areas:

Markets and productivity. We analyze how market competition affects productivity, how energy markets and the green transition function, and competition in the retail sector.

Corporate ownership and human capital. We study how different ownership structures—such as family firms, multinational corporations, private equity, and state-owned enterprises—affect competitiveness, productivity, skill development, and efficiency. We also examine who becomes a business owner and how start-ups access financing.

Generative AI and technological development. We explore how recent technological advances, particularly in generative artificial intelligence, affect firm performance, productivity, employment, investment, and careers.

The program is an internationally competitive research environment. Our researchers have extensive experience with modern econometric methods, theory development, publishing in leading academic journals, and communicating research to broader audiences. A key asset is our comprehensive register-based microdata on individuals and firms, covering the entire Swedish economy from the 1990s onward. The program is primarily funded by the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, but also includes projects and researchers supported by other funders.

Researchers: Malin Gardberg, Fredrik Heyman, Pär Holmberg, Erik Lundin, Pehr-Johan Norbäck, Martin Olsson, Matilda Orth, Lars Persson, Erik Prawitz, Fredrik Sjöholm and Melinda Suveg.

Affiliated researchers: Thor Berger, Karin Edmark, Jens Josephson, Matti Keloharju, Samuli Knüpfer, Florin Maican, Alexander Montag, Lars Oxelheim, Marco Pagano and Annalisa Scognamiglio.

PhD students: Alexandra Allard, Henrik Hällerfors and Eleanor Johansson.