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The Swedish Paradox arises in Fast-Growing Sectors

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine whether the previously observed gap between growth of R&D and economic performance, known as the ‘Swedish paradox’, is a general phenomenon across all sectors of the economy, or only occurs in specific industry segments. The dataset used for the analysis covers nearly the entire Swedish economy 1985-1998, divided into five broad sectors: Fast-growing industries, Slow-growing industries, Industrial outphasers, Fast- growing producer services and Other services. The growth of R&D, value added and research productivity is compared for these sectors and the largest gap between R&D and value added is located to the fast growing sectors of the economy. The Swedish paradox is therefore not necessarily a sign of weakness or deficiency of the innovation system, but rather indicates that long-term growth requires large investments in knowledge-building resources.

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  • Ejermo, Olof & Kander, Astrid, 2008. "The Swedish Paradox arises in Fast-Growing Sectors," Papers in Innovation Studies 2008/7, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2008_007
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    1. Dahmen, Erik, 1984. "Schumpeterian dynamics : Some methodological notes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 25-34, March.
    2. Karlsson, Charlie & Johansson, Börje & Stough, Roger, 2008. "Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Functional Regions," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 144, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    3. Pavitt, Keith, 1984. "Sectoral patterns of technical change: Towards a taxonomy and a theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(6), pages 343-373, December.
    4. Ejermo, Olof & Kander, Astrid, 2006. "The Swedish Paradox," Papers in Innovation Studies 2006/1, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
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    Cited by:

    1. Leydesdorff, Loet & Wagner, Caroline, 2009. "Macro-level indicators of the relations between research funding and research output," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 353-362.

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    JEL classification:

    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General

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