Do not write thick books in Swedish, please!

Abstract

The Swedish Agency of Higher Education has reached the conclusion that the research in economic history in Sweden has “high international standards” showing “very high activity at international conferences and in international publications since the 1960s.” This positive judgement has made Waldenström feel frustrated. Let me first clarify that I agree with Waldenström that courses in quantitative methods are highly important in both graduate and post-graduate programmes. Secondly, I also give priority in my career to international publications and international conference presentations (see CV on homepage). Thirdly, I recognize historical economics as a scientifically fruitful complement to historical analysis. However, Waldenström has not shown that international non-Nordic journals is economic history have become more quantitative in nature and content, or that Swedish dissertations in economic history have become less quantitative. Neither has the shown that Swedish shares of internation journal and book publications and conference presentations are below available cross-country and cross-discpline benchmarks (other than those for economics departments in the US). His main conclusion — “the results are outright alarming as signals of a systematic under-performance and a waste of resources” — is therefore as incorrect asa his method.