A Nordic pyramid
The lessons from 100 years of a family’s industrial empire
SWEDEN is a progressive place. Women participate fully in the workforce. Companies are transparent, generally uncorrupt and often globally minded. Enthusiasm for technology helps Stockholm flourish as a lively startup centre for gaming, music and fintech firms. Business leaders earnestly talk of the benefits of going green, caring for workers and being ethical. In politics, Sweden is egalitarian, redistributing wealth through high taxes. So it is a puzzle that Swedish capitalism appears so strikingly unequal, with a small number of individuals owning and running large chunks of the economy.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “A Nordic pyramid”
From the March 12th 2016 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Business
Meet the ambitious wolf cubs of Wall Street
A duo of whippersnappers is taking on Goldman Sachs
What next for US Steel?
The faded industrial icon has few good options without a Nippon deal
Foxconn and other gadget-makers are expanding their empires
The world’s contract manufacturers are moving into new products and places
The signals of workplace submissiveness
Deference is all around you, unfortunately
America’s internet giants are being outplayed in the global south
From e-commerce to online banking, regional competitors are innovating rapidly
Will Mark Zuckerberg’s Trump gamble pay off?
He risks making enemies elsewhere