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A Swedish Economic Policy - The Theory, Application and Validity of the Rehn-Meidner Model

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The macroeconomic principles behind the Swedish model were developed by two trade union economists, Gösta Rehn and Rudolf Meidner, shortly after World War II. The Rehn-Meidner model respresents a unique third way between keynesianism and monetarism in its approach to combine full employment programs, a tight fiscal policy and wage policy of solidarity. This essay demonstrates the logic and comprehensive character of the Rehn-Mediner model, as well as the originality of its underlying economic theory. It aslo analyses the application of the model in Sweden during the post-war period. In the 1980s, the means of the model were largely abandoned. In the 1990s, the governments generally adopted the means of the model, but they were unable to combine low inflation with full employment. A renewed interest in the Rehn-Meidner model may emerge from recent declarations by the EU to prioritise full employment without giving up the objective of price stability.

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  • Erixon, Lennart, 2000. "A Swedish Economic Policy - The Theory, Application and Validity of the Rehn-Meidner Model," Research Papers in Economics 2000:13, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:sunrpe:2000_0013
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    Cited by:

    1. Schulten, Thorsten, 2001. "Solidarische Lohnpolitik in Europa: Ansätze und Perspektiven einer Europäisierung gewerkschaftlicher Lohnpolitik," WSI Working Papers 92, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    2. Wulfgramm, Melike, 2007. "Solidarity as an Engine for Economic Change: The impact of Swedish and US political ideology on wage differentials and structural change," GGDC Research Memorandum GD-97, Groningen Growth and Development Centre, University of Groningen.
    3. Erixon, Lennart, 2001. "Transformation Pressure and Growth - a Missing Link in Macroeconomics," Research Papers in Economics 2001:3, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
    4. Ari Kokko, 2010. "The Swedish Model," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2010-088, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Győrffy, Dóra, 2006. "Globális kihívások és nemzetgazdasági alkalmazkodás. A gazdaságpolitikai fegyelem intézményesítése Svédországban [Global challenges and international economic adjustment. Institutionalization of ec," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(6), pages 540-559.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fiscal policy; Fair Wages; Productivity; Inflation; Labour demnad; Labour mobility; Swedish model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • O23 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Fiscal and Monetary Policy in Development

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