Nima Sanandaji

Nima Sanandaji

Nima Sanandaji in 2013
Born (1981-06-30) June 30, 1981
Tehran, Iran
Nationality Swedish
Alma mater Royal Institute of Technology
Occupation Author, scientist
Notable work Scandinavian Unexceptionalism

Nima Sanandaji (born June 30, 1981 in Iran) is a Swedish-iranian author.[1][2] He has published several books on policy issues such as women’s career opportunities, integration, entrepreneurship and reforms which encourage innovation in the provision of public services.[3][4][5][6]

Nima is the president of the think tank European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform,[7] and a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies,[8] and at the Centre for the market reform of education,[9] both in London, UK. He is a cofounder of the Stockholm-based think tank Captus, which he led as CEO for several years until 2011.[10] Nima has conducted research at Chalmers University of Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Cambridge University, and holds a PhD from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.[2][11]

Education

Nima Sanandaji was born to middle-class ethnic Kurdish parents in Tehran. His parents came to Sweden from Iran in 1989. Sanandaji was raised in and lives in Stockholm. He has conducted research in structural biochemistry at Cambridge University and has a degree in biotechnology from Chalmers University of Technology. He has a PhD from the Royal Institute of Technology in polymer engineering. Nima has previously been chairman of the Free Moderate Student League and the Swedish-American Association, both based in Gothenburg.[2]

Authorship

Sanandaji was one of the authors of the Timbro report "Welcome to Sweden! On political bias in the SFI literature, Swedish for immigrants" which criticized the SFI training of having a politicized message in favor of the Social Democrats.[12][13] He has published more than 20 books, mostly in Swedish, on policy issues such as women’s career opportunities, integration, entrepreneurship and reforms which encourage innovation in the provision of public services.[3][4][5][6]

Nimas first English book is Renaissance for Reforms, written together with Professor Stefan Fölster. The book was published in 2014 through a co-operation with Swedish think tank Timbro and UK based think tanks Institute of Economic Affairs. Through and analysis of modern democracies since the mid 1990s, the authors question the idea that reformist governments are seldom re-elected. Rather, they show that those governments that have introduced market reforms have been on average more likely to win re-election. The book has gained the attention of media and think-tanks in a number of countries, including Sweden,[14] Austria,[15][16] Norway,[17] the UK,[18][19] and Bulgaria.[20]

In 2014 Nima published the book "SuperEntrepreneurs" co-authored with his brother Tino Sanandaji, an economist. The book looks into the background of the more than a thousand individuals around the world who have amassed more than $1 billion through entrepreneurship, examining which conditions foster entrerpeneurship. On its release SuperEntrepreneurs gained massive international attention. It was the front page story of the Daily Telegraph[21] and independently also reported by the Times,[22] the Daily Mail,[23] and NBC News.[24] A range of international media followed up on these initial reports.[25]

NBC quoted SuperEntrepreneurs by stating: "The results indicate the American Dream – the notion that it is possible for individuals to rise to the top through effort, luck and genius – is not yet dead. Self-made billionaire entrepreneurs have created millions of jobs, billions of dollars in private wealth and probably trillions of dollars of value for society".[24]

Richard Branson, the entrepreneur who has founded Virgin, criticized SuperEntrepreneurs for not having emphasis on the need for public support of entrepreneurs. Branson wrote on his blog: "I am a big believer in the power of entrepreneurship as a key driver of economic growth, job creation and innovation. However, if we want more successful entrepreneurs, they need to be supported with long-term thinking and creative support structures."[26]

Nima has written numerous reports for organizations such as the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, the Swedish Taxpayers' Association, Företagarna, Vinnova and the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.[2]

Scandinavian Unexceptionalism

In his book Scandinavian Unexceptionalism, Nima Sanandaji promotes the idea that unique norms and free markets can explain the economic and social success of Scandinavia rather than large welfare states. In June 2015, The book was published by the British think tank Institute of Economic Affairs,[1] and was also released in Stockholm in co-operation with think tank Timbro.[27] The foreword is written by US libertarian author Tom Palmer.

In the book, Sanandaji argues that particularly the left has long praised Scandinavian countries for their high levels of welfare provision and admirable societal outcomes. Although true that Scandinavian countries are successful, the author makes the case that this success pre-dates the welfare state. According to Sanandaji Scandinavians became successful by combining a culture with strong emphasis on individual responsibility with economic freedom. This can also explain why Scandinavian Americans, who live outside Nordic welfare states, have low levels of poverty and high levels of prosperity.[28]

The book has been cited in more than a hundred international publications, including the Wall Street Journal,[29][30] The Daily Telegraph,[31] ABC,[32] Financial Post,[33] The New York Post,[34] Taiwanese publication Tech Finance News,[35] Chicago Tribune,[36] and Forbes.[37]

The Economist has cited the findings of the book that Nordic-Americans are considerably more prosperous than their cousins in the Nordics:[38]

"According to a study from the Institute of Economic Affairs, Swedish-Americans are considerably richer than the average American—as are other Scandinavian-Americans. The poverty rate of Americans with Swedish ancestry is only 6.7%, half the national average. Swedish-Americans are better off even than their cousins at home: their average income is 50% higher than theirs, a number used by opponents of the Swedish model as an argument against the shackles of big government. Their success in America seems solidly grounded in old national virtues. They have more trust in each other and in government; they tend to obey rules (leading to many jokes about “squareheads” and “dumb blondes”). The Protestant work ethic is strong: in Minneapolis in particular, the number of Lutheran churches is striking. Scandinavian-Americans also display a keen civic sense, whether in shovelling snow or helping elderly neighbours, from which everyone benefits"

Jeff Jacoby at New York Post has written: "In “Scandinavian Unexceptionalism,” a penetrating new book published by the Institute of Economic Affairs, Sanandaji shows that the Nordic nations’ prosperity 'developed during periods characterized by free-market policies, low or moderate taxes, and limited state involvement in the economy.'"[39] Rich Lowry at the National Review relates the book to Bernie Sanders' vision of introducting Nordic-style welfare policies in the US: "There are a couple of things wrong with the Left’s romance with these countries, as Swedish analyst Nima Sanandaji notes in a recent monograph. It doesn’t fully appreciate the sources of Nordic success, or how Scandinavia has turned away from the socialism so alluring to its international admirers." [40]

Chris Matthews writes in Fortune: "economists like Nobelist Joseph Stiglitz have argued that American policy makers should use Scandinavia as a model for promoting more balanced growth. […] Nima Sanandaji, a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies, argues that this line of thinking is too convenient. If you want to measure he effects of high government spending and wealth redistribution, there are plenty of other examples to draw lessons from. “Why not bring up Italy or France?” Sanandaji asks, referring to two other large, but less robust, economies with large welfare states."[41]

Scandinavian Unexceptionalism has been translated to Polish, titled Mit Skandynawii.[42] Spanish translation has been released in South and Central America as well as Spain, with a foreword from Mauricio Rojas, associate professor of economic history at Lund University in Sweden and senior fellow at Chilean think tank FPP. The Spanish version, titled "El poco excepcional modelo escandinavo" can be downloaded for free online.[43] Parts of the book and previous versions of it have been translated to Persian, German, French and Korean.

The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox

The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox is a book by Nima Sanandaji which argues that the Nordic nations, which are often ranked as being the most gender equal in the world, have policies that hinder women from reaching the top. In February 2016, the book was published by Swedish think tank Timbro. The foreword is written by Timbro president Karin Svanborg-Sjövall.

In the book, Sanandaji writes that the Nordic societies at first glance seem to have it all:[44]

"a historic tradition of women’s entrepreneurship, modern welfare states that provide support to working parents, outstanding levels of women’s participation in the labour market and populations that strongly support the idea of gender equality. It therefore comes as a surprise that Nordic countries, in one international ranking after another, are shown to have few women among top-managers and business owners. Another surprise is that the three Baltic countries, which have more conservative societies and a more small-government approach than their Nordic neighbors, have more women managers, top executives and business owners."

The book has been cited widely by international media.[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]

Robert M. Sauer cited the book in Jerusalem Times as an argument for why Israel should not copy Nordic welfare policies to achieve gender equality:[45]

“Despite generous support for working parents and high rates of female labor force participation, Nordic countries score very poorly in international rankings that tally the number of women among senior managers and business owners.”

Steve Austin interviewed Sanandaji for ABC Radio Brisbane in Australia.[55] In the Washington Examiner, Michael Barone related the book to then-president candidate Hillary Clinton's plan for equalizing pay:[46]

“Hillary Clinton's solutions for equalizing pay — "flexible scheduling, paid family leave and earned sick days" — tend to encourage women to take time off from work, which in turn tends toward lower lifetime earnings. That's certainly been the effect in Scandinavia, where such policies have been carried farthest. The effect, Swedish scholar Nima Sanandaji writes, is that "many women work, but seldom in the private sector and seldom enough hours to reach the top.”

Andrea Mrozek wrote about the findings of the book in Canadian Financial Post, as an argument against gender quotas:[33]

“The government of Ontario recently announced gender quotas for provincial boards. It wants private companies to follow its lead over the next five years. This, we are told, will not only help women, it will improve company performance. Is this actually true? A book about the Nordic experience released in May 2016 punctures those hopes and should be cause for reconsidering Ontario’s path. The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox by Nima Sanandaji assesses gender-equality programs and plans in Iceland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Specifically in Norway, the evidence from studying quotas show neutral or negative results, both for women’s advancement and company performance — the two areas we are told will most obviously benefit.”

US economist Tyler Cowen criticized the book for not having enough “formal econometric treatment” and stated that he did not regard it “to be the final word”. Still, Cowen wrote:[48]

“It is nonetheless a consistently interesting take which revises a lot of the stereotypes many people have about the Nordic countries as being so absolutely wonderful for gender egalitarianism in every regard.”

The book was also cited by media in other countries, including Russia,[49] Poland,[50][51] Norway,[52] Estonia[53] and Colombia.[54]

In public

Sanandaji is a frequent visitor to Almedalen Week. In 2008, Expressen newspaper selected Nima as the third most important speaker in Almedalen Week. The Swedish economic magazine Dagens Industri ranked him third out of Sweden's 101 super talents.[2]

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 "Scandinavian success is not due to high taxes and welfare spending". IEA. Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). 23 Jun 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 sv:Nima Sanandaji
  3. 1 2 "Nima Sanandaji Books". Bokus. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Scandinavian Unexceptionalism: Culture, Markets and the Failure of Third-Way Socialism (Readings in Political Economy)". Amazon.com. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Renaissance for Reforms". Timbro. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Nima Sanandaji". Adlibris. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  7. ↑ European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform (ECEPR)
  8. ↑ "Academic Council and Fellows". Center for the Study of Market Reform Education. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Nima Sanandaji: Academic and author of books on Swedish policy issues". CAPX. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Omorganisation". Captus. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  11. ↑ Sanandaji, Nima (2013). "Different paths to explore confined crystallisation of PCL". Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet (DiVA). Royal Institute of Technology. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  12. ↑ Ingvar Hedlund; Mats Pettersson (27 March 2006). "Så ser Sverige ut – i skolböckerna. Invandrare lär sig läsa svenska med s-propaganda". Expressen. p. 24.
  13. ↑ Sanandaji, Nima (12 September 2007). "Förmedla kunskap – inte vänsterreklam". SVT. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  14. ↑ Fölster, Stefan; Sanandaji, Nima (18 February 2014). "Reformfega regeringar blir sällan återvalda". DN.se. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  15. ↑ Bertoletti, Luca (22 September 2014). "A must-read book for European politicians". Austrian Economics. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  16. ↑ Mayrbäurl, Cornelia (18 August 2014). "Ein praktischer Ratgeber für Reformwillige". Agenda Austria. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  17. ↑ Doksheim, Marius (31 March 2014). "Reformer som vinner valg". MinervaNett. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  18. ↑ "Book Launch: Renaissance for Reforms". Institute of Economic Affairs. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  19. ↑ Sanandaji, Nima (21 March 2014). "Nima Sanandaji and Stefan Folster: Why left wing governments which pursue free market reforms get re-elected". Conservative Home. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  20. ↑ "ИКОНОМИЧЕСКА ПОЛИТИКА". Икономическа Библиотека на ИПИ и БМА. 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  21. ↑ Swinford, Steven (27 April 2014). "Britain must cut taxes and red tape to produce more entrepreneurs". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  22. ↑ Mostrous, Alexi (28 April 2014). "Who wants to be a billionaire? Follow this simple guide". The Times. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  23. ↑ Chorley, Matt (28 April 2016). "Who wants to be a billionaire? New study reveals the secrets of the 1,000 people who turned an idea into a fortune". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  24. 1 2 Clifford, Catherine (28 April 2014). "Self-Made Billionaires Around the Globe: Where and Why They Thrive (Infographic)". NBC News. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  25. ↑ "SuperEntrepreneurs and how your country can get them". Centre for Policy Studies. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  26. ↑ Branson, Richard (28 April 2014). "Long-term thinking needed to support entrepreneurs". Virgin. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  27. ↑ Sanandaji, Nima. "Bokpresentation 24 juni: Scandinavian Unexceptionalism (Book presentation June 24: Scandinavian Unexceptionalism)". Timbro. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  28. ↑ "Scandinavian Unexceptionalism: Culture, Markets and the Failure of Third-Way Socialism". IEA. Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). 23 June 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  29. ↑ Stephens, Bret (May 16, 2016). "What's Socialism, Dad?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  30. ↑ Sanandaji, Nima (June 24, 2015). "The End of Nordic Illusions". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  31. ↑ Heath, Allister (July 2, 2015). "Scandinavia's errors: lessons for Greece and Britain". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  32. ↑ Hinchliffe, Jessica (August 4, 2015). "Dr Nima Sanandaji's Nordic Economic Model". ABC. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  33. 1 2 Mrozek, Andrea (September 2, 2015). "A Scandinavian myth-buster: What's wrong with the idea of Sweden's utopia". Financial Post. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  34. ↑ Lowry, Rich (October 19, 2015). "Sorry, Bernie — Scandinavia is no socialist paradise after all". New York Post. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  35. ↑ "北歐天堂大崩壞，負債累累比美國慘". Tech Finance News. November 12, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  36. ↑ S. E., Cupp (November 23, 2015). "Is America great or what?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  37. ↑ Schatz, Daniel (February 18, 2016). "Bernie Sanders' Scandinavian Utopia Is An Illusion". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Founding Vikings". The Economist. June 18, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  39. ↑ Jacoby, Jeff (October 15, 2015). "No, Bernie Sanders, Scandinavia is not a socialist utopia". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  40. ↑ Lowry, Rich (October 20, 2015). "Why Socialists Shouldn't Cite Sweden as Success". National Review. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  41. ↑ Matthews, Chris (January 26, 2016). "What the Left Gets Wrong About Scandinavia". Fortune. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Mit Skandynawii, czyli porażka polityki trzeciej drogi". Fijor Publishing. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  43. ↑ "El Poco Excepcional Modelo Escandinavø" (PDF). Unión Editorial. 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  44. ↑ "The Nordic Gender Paradox". The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  45. 1 2 M. Sauer, Robert (April 11, 2016). "Should Israel become a Nordic country?". The Jerusalem Post Group. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  46. 1 2 Barone, Michael (22 May 2016). "Michael Barone: Clinton policies to end pay gap would just make it larger". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  47. ↑ Mrozek, Andrea (29 June 2016). "Gender quotas don't help businesses — they don't even help women". Financial Post. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  48. 1 2 Cowen, Tyler (2016-05-11). "*The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox* - Marginal REVOLUTION". Marginal REVOLUTION. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  49. 1 2 "Квоты — тупик равноправия". ИноСМИ.Ru. 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  50. 1 2 "Nordycki paradoks. Państwo opiekuńcze niszczy kariery kobiet". forsal.pl. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  51. 1 2 Piński, Aleksander (6 May 2016). "Państwo opiekuńcze niszczy kariery kobiet". www.obserwatorfinansowy.pl. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  52. 1 2 Clemet, Kristin (2016-06-18). "Valgfrihet vs. reell valgfrihet". Civita. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  53. 1 2 "Põhjamaine uuring: sookvootidest pole kasu ei äridele ega naistele - Objektiiv". Objektiiv (in Estonian). 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  54. 1 2 Andrade, Daniel Bravo (1 July 2016). "¿Qué tanto nos falta para la equidad de género?". www.elcolombiano.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  55. ↑ Corporation, Australian Broadcasting (26 April 2016). "ABC Radio". ABC Radio. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
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