New Research in Swedish Economic History: Institutions, the State, Actors and Structures

This introductory chapter to the volume provides the context for the book. It discusses the main traits of a long tradition of adopting an institutional approach in Swedish economic history research. Economic and business history analysis is always firmly grounded in the institutional and political environment, but this seems to have been particularly important in the Swedish scholarly tradition. The chapter addresses various approaches within this tradition, especially research on economic growth and structural change and on three industrial revolutions. Furthermore, the chapter discusses themes that have been particularly prominent in recent research, including the role of infrastructure in economic development, government-business interaction, and the co-evolution of institutional change and economic development. Finally, the chapter addresses how approaches from business history, especially the role of financial market development, and entrepreneurship have enabled the understanding of Swedish economic history. Themes are then tied to the individual chapters in the book and placed in a national and international scholarly context.