The research themes are in part motivated by an interest in understanding how “the Nordic model” will fare in the process of globalization. Do adverse intensified competition and more turbulent economic environments strengthen the adverse incentive effects of social protection? Or do welfare state provisions, such as unemployment insurance, facilitate structural change by breaking resistance to mobility? Sweden’s participation in the European Union raises new issues regarding labor market regulations as it has become increasingly common that disputes in the domestic labor market involve firms or workers from more than one country.

Labor market institutions and employment relations

Research on labor market institutions and employment relations has been pursued from several disciplinary angles, including economics, political science, sociology, and labor law. This interdisciplinary field is traditionally known as “Industrial Relations”.

Labor market institutions and employment relations

Unemployment and social protection

Unemployment remains a major social issue, a fact underlined by the “Great Recession” of 2008/09. Our research in this area aims at improving the understanding of the mechanisms of unemployment and social exclusion, including the impact on individual welfare. We will also evaluate policies aimed at increasing employment or reducing the adverse effects of unemployment.

Unemployment and social protection

Earnings, education, and inequality

Educational policy can influence inequality by changing the skill composition of the labor force. By educational policies it may also be possible to break the intergenerational persistence of inequality. Our research will shed new light on how the design of the education system affects labor market outcomes. We also wish to improve the understanding about the sources of intergenerational correlations in earnings. Finally, we will examine how globalization affects employment and earnings in Sweden.

Earnings, education, and inequality