OECD's 2012 Economic Survey of Sweden examines recent economic developments, policy and prospects before taking a more detailed look at labour and social policies as well as housing and financial markets.

This paper looks at the factors that have to be considered when designing an aggregate expenditure ceiling. It is argued that expenditure ceilings are effective in promoting fiscal discipline and sustainability, but that a number of trade-offs have to be made when setting up a fiscal framework that will survive in a politically charged environment. The paper illustrates the discussion with a case study of medium-term aggregate expenditure ceilings in three countries: Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden.

In The Swedish Experiment Assar Lindbeck characterizes the economic and social system in Sweden in terms of a number of institutional features by which Sweden has differed from most other developed countries. They refer mainly to the division of responsibilities between the private and the government sector, in particular with respect to economic security, employment, income distribution, consumption and investment. The book concludes by asking whether the Swedish experiment is gradually unwinding and, if so, why. The Swedish Experiment is written in a nontechnical fashion and should be of great interest not only to professional economists, but also to students of economics and other social sciences as well as to general readers.