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Sverige och EU: Handel och tillväxt

Abstract

EU är idag världens största marknadsplats. Forskningsinstitutet Ratio har i studien “Sverige och EU: Handel och tillväxt” funnit att Sveriges varuhandel med EU idag är nästan dubbelt så stor som den skulle ha varit utan medlemskap och handelsavtal. Den svenska varuhandeln har ökat med 85-95 %, som en direkt följd av EU och ökad öppenhet. Effekterna på tjänstehandeln är cirka hälften så stor som varuhandeln. EU har även bidragit till ekonomisk tillväxt bland medlemsländerna. Studien visar att Sveriges BNP ökat med 3-20 %, tack vare vår öppna ekonomi, långtgående frihandelsavtal och EU-inträdet.
Lågt hållna beräkningar pekar på att ca 3 procent av dagens BNP kan tillskrivas EU och ökad öppenhet medan andra skattningar indikerar att effekten kan vara så stor som 20 procent. Ser man närmare på dessa siffror finner man att en stor del av tillväxteffekterna kan tillskrivas den fördjupade integationen och regelharmoniseringen som eliminerat ett stor antal informella handelshinder inom EU. Den djupare integrationen är en process som uppkommer som ett krav på rättvisa konkurrensvillkor mellan företag när gamla handelshinder avskaffas. För varje nytt steg följer ett sökande efter balans i de nya villkoren. Detta är stor utmaning. Finner medlemsländerna missnöje i hur EU-samarbetet fungerar kan processen vändas och gå mot ökad protektionism, både inom EU och gentemot omvärlden. Givet de stora vinsterna som står att finna i handel och öppenhet så är balansgången mellan integration och nationell självständighet en nyckelfråga för EU:s framtida utveckling.

Halvarsson, D., Kokko, A. & Tingvall, P. (2014). Sverige och EU: Handel och tillväxt -EU:s effekt på handel och ekonomisk tillväxt bland medlemsländerna. Rapport april 2014. Ratio.

Details

Author: Halvarsson, D., Kokko, A. & Tingvall, P.
Publication year: 2014

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Ph.D.
Daniel Halvarsson
+460760184541daniel.halvarsson@ratio.se

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Reviewing the EU policy nexus of energy efficiency and social policy

Nordensvard, J., Björklund, M., von Malmborg, F., La Fleur, L., Skogsmo, E., & Gamez, D. H. B.

Publication year

2025

Published in

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse how the European Union (EU) energy policy has merged social policy concepts with energy efficiency policy. Energy efficiency has increasingly become understood through social policy concepts such as energy poverty, energy inequality, and lack of cohesion. Previous research has shown how the social aspects of energy efficiency have been highlighted by the European Commission when discussing the multiple benefits of increased energy efficiency efforts, such as building renovations.

Using a mixed-method approach with material from the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and the European Parliament, we review energy policy from a social policy perspective. The analysis is conducted in two steps. First, we identify which EU institutions acted as agenda-setters in introducing the social aspects of energy efficiency. Second, we describe and analyse the framing process through which social concepts are merged with energy policy.

The study combines qualitative and quantitative analyses of EU policy documents. A set of key words is used in the quantitative analysis to explore the links between social policy and energy policy.

We conclude that social aspects were first connected to the energy policy field by the European Parliament. This connection was later reinforced by the European Commission through the inclusion of social policy elements, particularly in policies addressing the transition to energy efficiency and zero-carbon buildings, where concepts such as energy poverty have become central.

City size, employer concentration, and wage income inequality

Halvarsson, D., & Korpi, M.

Publication year

2025

Published in

Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy (IFAU)

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between the urban wage premium and employer concentration using Swedish full population employer-employee data. Departing from an AKM modeling framework to distinguish worker from firm specific heterogeneity – a measure of rent-sharing – we then measure the urban wage premium using differences in the estimated firm fixed effects at the level of local industries, nested within local labor markets. Our results suggest that labor market employer concentration, as calculated using the Hirschman-Herfindahl index and a leave-one-out instrumental variable design, can account for a significant share of the estimated urban wage premium (UWP). Addressing city-level wage income inequality by applying our model to different segments of the local labor market income distribution, we find that while the UWP pertains to all income segments, it is largest for top-income levels (above the 90th percentile), and within this segment employer concentration also has the largest explanatory power. Thus, while being an important explanatory factor for all percentiles of the local income distribution, a relatively lower employer concentration within larger cities, and vice versa, higher concentration within smaller cities, primarily help explain the variance of top wages within these cities/labor markets.

Ratio Working Paper No. 374: The Impact of High-Skilled Migration on Productivity in Swedish Firms

Publication year

2024

Published in

Ratio Working paper series.

Abstract

The migration of highly skilled labor has received increasing attention due to its role in fostering innovation and productivity. This study explores the impact of foreign experts on the productivity of Swedish companies. Utilizing a difference-in-difference model with comprehensive register data from 1996 to 2015, the analysis reveals that Swedish companies hiring foreign experts experience a significant productivity increase of 6 to 11 percent within two to three years post-hiring. This effect is particularly pronounced in small and medium-sized enterprises and is slightly enhanced when excluding returning Swedish-born experts. Additionally, the study finds that both labor and capital productivity rise, along with a modest increase in wage incomes for other employees, estimated at 1.5 to 2 percent. However, the wage effects are less robust compared to productivity impacts. The findings underscore the importance of attracting foreign talent to bolster productivity. This research fills a crucial gap in the literature by focusing on the specific effects of foreign experts on total factor productivity in a small, knowledge-oriented economy like Sweden’s.