Joakim Wernberg

Contact information

Email: joakim.wernberg@ratio.se
Links: Google Scholar

Dr. Joakim Wernberg researches the relationship between technological and economic change. His work mainly focuses on digitalization and includes topics such as how innovation is increasingly software-based, how the use of cloud services affects industrial structures, the need for digital competence, and digital platform economies.

In his ongoing research, he studies issues such as the economic aspects of cybersecurity, the introduction of electric scooters in Swedish municipalities, developments in income mobility, gig work, and how artificial intelligence influences the labor market and the economy. He is also interested in how new regulations impact the digitalized economy and the future conditions of digital markets.

Related publications

Article (with peer review)

Stress Testing a Quasi-Market: Unintended Consequences of the Swedish School Voucher System

Bergh, A., & Wernberg, J.

Publication year

2025

Published in

Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration.

Abstract

Quasi-markets are increasingly used in public service provision, yet they remain highly contested. This paper develops a conceptual framework grounded in economic theory to examine how quasi-markets differ from traditional markets along five key dimensions: (1) revenues, costs, and profits, (2) the matching of supply and demand, (3) competition, (4) structural change, and (5) rent-seeking. Assuming profit-maximizing behavior, we stresstest the quasi-market model to explore how these structural differences shape incentives and influence outcomes. Applying the framework to Sweden’s school voucher system, we show that specific design features have led to unintended consequences that undermine service quality and conflict with the reform’s stated policy goals.

Book

Taxation in the Digital Era: Economic, Legal, and Policy Challenges

Hansson, Å., & Wernberg, J

Publication year

2025

Published in

Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract

This open access edited volume discusses the impact of digitalization on taxation, using the Swedish welfare state model as a lens through which to examine the disruptive effect of new technologies on traditional tax models. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, it integrates perspectives from economics, law, audit, and public policy to shed light on contemporary challenges in taxation.

With Sweden as a central case study, the chapters in this book address broader concerns surrounding the impact of digital transformation on how states calculate and enforce tax, as well as the role of international coordination in reforming tax policy. The book covers many important topics such as financing public welfare, international attempts to combat issues concerning multinationals and consumption taxation, legitimacy and democratic implications, as well as how digitalization impacts firms’ and tax authorities’ tax administration. The effects of AI, automation and remote work are all considered, as well as how greater labor mobility is decreasing the emphasis on a geographical nexus for taxability and creating a need for urgent tax reform. Providing a diverse set of theoretical and policy considerations, this book will be essential reading for scholars, students and policymakers working in the spheres of tax law, the welfare state and public economics.