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SWEDISH ENTREPRENEURSHIP FORUM
For better economic and
political decision-making
The idea for the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum came about from a
discussion about the ability for researchers to share knowledge with
politicians and decision-makers. This idea became reality in 1994, and since
then the Entrepreneurship Forum has gone on conducting policy-relevant
research and ensure its popularisation and distribution. Johan Eklund,
Professor at Blekinge Institute of Technology, has been the CEO of the forum
since 2015.
“I’m from a research background myself, I’m a professor of
economics. But what really spurs me is ensuring that research
is of benefit to society, politicians and decision-makers. This is supporting the growing group of people who are currently far from the
why the Entrepreneurship Forum is so vital – we provide a link between
researchers, society, the business community and politics.”
There are three main areas for the forum’s activities. It initiates,
conducts and communicates research relevant to policy regarding
entrepreneurship, innovation, running small businesses, renewal and
growth; it runs a unique network involving academia, politics and
the business community; and it shares knowledge so that informed
decisions can be made.
The aim is to be the leading national venue for knowledge-sharing
for decision-makers, researchers and formers of opinion on economic
policy issues linked with aspects such as entrepreneurship and
innovation.
“For us, the most important thing is to ensure that the research
we conduct is of use to society. One example is our work related to
exclusion in the labour market and self-sufficiency issues, where we
can now see – ahead of the 2022 elections – that a number of political
parties have taken on board our research and proposals and are using
them for policymaking. It’s brilliant to see our work having that kind of
specific impact.”
EMPHASIS ON THE LABOUR MARKET
2021 has been an unusual year for the Entrepreneurship Forum, as
for many others. Much of their research has focused on how to get
Sweden restarted in the wake of the pandemic, with emphasis on
increasing the competitiveness of our economy. A number of reports
on this issue have been published during the year.
“We have a major matching problem in the Swedish labour market
at present, and it is clear that permanent unemployment will remain
relatively high even after the pandemic, unless we act. Something is
MinelslobcyieGtåyrd
very wrong when we have both a labour shortage and a high level of
unemployment. We particularly need to come up with new ways of
labour market so as to reduce economic exclusion among individuals
in this group.”
RESEARCH INTO SWEDEN’S COMPETITIVENESS
Now that the pandemic is almost over, Johan Eklund is looking forward
to tackling some new issues and taking on research in relevant fields
that have been overshadowed over the last couple of years.
“It’s clear to me that we’ll be able to alter our focus now that we’re
returning to a more normal routine. Of course, it’ll be wonderful to
see whether our efforts on self-sufficiency issues will continue to
have an impact on the political debate, but it’s also great to see we’re
broadening our perspectives and are able to consider the long-term
renewal capability and competitiveness of the Swedish economy.
There’s also the impact of recent geopolitical issues and security
policies to look at, and how these affect the Swedish economy.
“What’s more, I’m very much looking forward to having fewer digital
meetings and seeing all my colleagues and partners in person again.”
Mellby Gård is one of a number of partners to the Entrepreneurship
Forum, and has been for many years. Johan can see lots of advantages
in the Andersson family being part of the forum.
“The discussions about social issues with Mellby Gård, through Rune
and Johan, are really crucial for researchers. This provides us with an
indication of which issues are of relevance to the business community.
They’re always dedicated, well-informed and interested, and the
discussions we’ve held generally result in specific issues that we can
take forward – regarding the functioning of the labour market and
exclusion from the labour market, for example.”
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