Jan Ottosson

Unemployment and mortality—a longitudinal prospective study on selection and causation in 49321 Swedish middle-aged men

Background: Unemployment is associated with increased risk of mortality. It is, however, not clear to what extent this is causal, or whether other risk factors remain uncontrolled for. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between unemployment and all-cause and cause-specific mortality, adjusting for indicators of mental disorder, behavioural risk factors and social factors over the life course. Methods: This study was based on a cohort of 49321 Swedish males, born 1949/51, tested for compulsory military conscription in 1969/70. Data on employment/unemployment 1990–4 was based on information from the Longitudinal Register of Education and Labour Market Statistics. Information on childhood circumstances was drawn from National Population and Housing Census 1960. Information on psychiatric diagnosis and behavioral risk factors was collected at conscription testing in 1969/70. Data on mortality and hospitalisation 1973–2004 were collected in national registers. Results: An increased risk of mortality 1995–2003 was found among individuals who experienced 90 days or more of unemployment during 1992–4 compared with those still employed (all-cause mortality HR 1.91, 95% CI 1.58 to 2.31. Adjustment for risk factors measured along the life course considerably lowered the relative risk (all cause mortality HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.58). Statistically significant increased relative risk was found during the first 4 years of follow up (all-cause mortality, adjusted HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.18, but not the following 4 years (all cause mortality, adjusted HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.50). Conclusion: The results suggest that a substantial part of the increased relative risk of mortality associated with unemployment may be attributable to confounding by individual risk factors.

The Evolution Of Path Dependence

The notion and interpretation of path dependence have been discussed and utilized in various social sciences during the last two decades. This innovative book provides significant new insights onto how the different applications of path dependence have developed and evolved. The authors suggest that there has been a definite evolution from applications of path dependence in the history of technology towards other fields of social science. They also discuss the various definitions of path dependence (strong or weak) and explore the potential applications of path dependence in new areas such as political economy and economic geography.

Transaction costs and Institutional Change

In modern economic analysis, the notion of transaction costs is used both as a technical concept in order to measure different kinds of costs related to contracting (search and information costs, contracting costs, monitoring and enforcement costs), as well as in the form of an explanatory device in order to understand economic change. Hence, according to the latter meaning, it is often presupposed by modern institutional theory that institutional change and different levels of transaction costs play a determinate role in the successive evolution of organizational modes. This evolutionary approach is clearly found in “true” institutional theory (known from the so-called “old institutionalists” and also expressed in the recent work of North), as well as in the so-called “neoclassical” institutional tradition from Coase to Williamson (see Eggertsson, 1990).

Transitions from part-time unemployment: Is part-time work a dead end or a stepping stone to the labour market?

This article analyses the effects of individual characteristics on the probability of leaving part-time unemployment. The results show that it cannot be unreservedly asserted that part-time work offers access to the core labour market. Among the part-time unemployed, there are great variations in the degree to which they are likely to leave part-time unemployment. A concentration of labour market policy activities on the part-time unemployed who are least likely to succeed in finding full-time employment can, therefore, be expected to have positive consequences from both equity and efficiency points of view. In this respect, part-time unemployed women, persons with work-related disabilities and persons with temporary employment come to the forefront. The article shows that the likelihood of finding a full-time job is certainly not great for persons belonging to these groups. For many of them, part-time job is not a stepping stone but rather a dead end on the labour market.

State Intervention and the Role of History - state and private actors in Swedish network industries

Three main theoretical positions towards state intervention and regulation are discussed in relation to the case of Swedish infrastructure. The positive, the normative, and the political transaction cost approaches are examined in relation to the historic development of regulatory systems in civil aviation, railroads, and telecommunications. The authors show that governance regimes have historical roots, and develop differently due to policies implemented by state agencies. Three points are illuminated with a view to the interaction between state and private actors in the transport and communication sector. First, the role and function of the state agencies as well as the political system itself point to the need for a more refined analysis of state action. The active role of state agencies is also discussed emphasizing the difference between political decisions and the implementation of such decisions. Second, the role of a historical perspective is discussed, arguing that it makes possible a better understanding of the reasons behind choices of particular strategies. Finally, there might be good reason to expect the state either to act solely as a rent seeker, or as a promoter of optimal solutions.

Regulatory change and international co-operation:: The Scandinavian Telecommunication Agreements, 1900–1960

The article deals with the issue of international co-operation and co-ordination in the Scandinavian communication industries. While many studies have been made of the international organizations regulating these industries, little has been said about the various voluntary, often informal, bilateral and multilateral agreements that exist outside such organizations. Yet those agreements were influential in shaping the international Scandinavian communications system as well as the national systems. In this article we study the evolution of a Scandinavian forum for co-operation in telecommunications and other network industries during the first half of the twentieth century. One important finding is the path-dependent nature of the co-operation. Once the national authorities had been brought together and their co-operation became fruitful, the field for such eciion expanded into other issues. Another finding is that as the Scandinavian authorities became more closely connected, they could use this to their advantage in other international organizations.

United we stand, divided we fall: historical trajectory of strategic renewal activities at the Scandinavian Airlines System, 1946–2012

Abstract Although the second half of the twentieth century saw the rise and fall of ‘multi-flag companies’ (MFCs) in the civil aviation industry, our understanding of how some managed to buck the trend and achieve longevity remains limited. This article advances business history and strategic management research by examining the strategic renewal activities of Scandinavian Airlines (formerly Scandinavian Airlines System [SAS]) during the period 1946–2012. The study sheds light on the key roles of private and state owners, rivals as well as banks, in critical financial phases are discussed in terms of longevity in the company. The longevity of the business stems from the leaders’ ability to develop as anticipated and respond to change in their competitive arena in close interaction with the owners. Thus, incumbent firms that strategically renew themselves prior to or during market reform, such as deregulation, enhance their chances of developing the size of their networks and revenue streams. Our main contribution to business history and strategic management literatures is the development of context-specific stages, which shed light on the evolution of strategic renewal activities and shifts from older processes and routines towards customer service and efficiency.

AB Gust Carlsson, 1880-1990, networks and survival in the Swedish printing industry

The article discusses the role of agent firms in Swedish industrial networks. The role of agent firms has until recently been viewed as a relatively unstable and intermediate form of governance str ...

The risk of pioneering: Private interests, the State, and the launching of civil aviation in Sweden. The case of SLA 1918–23

The making and running of one of the early Swedish civil aviation companies – Svenska Lufttrafikaktiebolaget 1919–23 – show that military representatives and private entrepreneurs were highly important during this phase. We state that the making of this early civil aviation company in Sweden had not been possible without close personal ties between bankers and entrepreneurs, as well as their beliefs in the future of civil aviation as a natural and an evident part of Swedish infrastructure. However, the enterprise was indeed pioneering the field and faced the 1920–23 Swedish crisis. Svenska Lufttrafikaktiebolaget did not survive, despite minor subsidies. The article shows that the initial position of State involvement regarding civil aviation was not a clear-cut matter in the late 1910s and early 1920s. We claim that only later in the 1920s the Swedish State properly supported civil aviation.

What Can the State Do for You?: Relocation allowances and regional subsidies in post-war Sweden

It has been suggested that Swedish policy during the early post-war period was strongly directed towards mobility-increasing expenditures – most notably relocation allowances – aimed at moving labour from north to south. While this view has dominated the academic discussion on labour market policy, there is little direct evidence. We make three claims. First, the relocation allowances have to be evaluated against the regional policy. Second, by doing so we show that the mobility-oriented policy was predominant only for a short period of time: in the early 1970s, there was a decisive shift towards a policy directed at stimulating employment in the north. Third, drawing on this, we revaluate the previous view on policy making in Sweden. Our analysis suggests that the Social Democratic government acted in a voter-maximizing way. The relocation allowances were introduced at the behest of the Trade Union Confederation (LO). The regional subsidies were expanded when voter sentiment turned against the perceived depletion of rural regions. However, this strategy interacted with the political and institutional environment. The new election law in 1970 and political competition from the Centre Party pushed the Social Democrats to shift their policies on regional subsidies.