Scholarly Comments on Academic Economics

Work Incentives and Employment are the Wrong Explanation of Sweden’s Success

by

*Andreas Bergh* received his PhD from Lund University in 2003, was visiting scholar at the Center for Basic Research in the Social Sciences at Harvard University in 2004, and is currently doing research at the Ratio-institute in Stockholm and at Departmen

Abstract

IN HIS RESPONSE TO MY COMMENT (BERGH 2006), LINDERT insinuates repeatedly that my criticisms of his book are little more than ideological bias. In this response, I will try even harder to recur to the facts. Still my conclusion is that Lindert is wrong about work incentives and employment in Sweden. To explain the so called free-lunch puzzle, we probably need to look closer at institutional quality and economic freedom.