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The growth of the Swedish Computing and Communicationsindustry is studied in this thesis. Growth is seen as a dynamicprocess moved by the entry, expansion, contraction and exit offirms. The analysis is founded on the theory of the ExperimentallyOrganised Economy, which views the economy as an experimentalprocess. The entire thesis is organised around the problem ofresource allocation and the issue of growth through theintroduction of new combinations into the economic system,using the terminology of Schumpeter (1911). Competence blocsdetermine the efficiency of the economic process, i.e., theextent to which it leads to sustained economic growth ratherthan stagnation. Change is a fundamental feature of theeconomic process, firms have to be flexible to survive and theeconomic system must promote flexibility to grow. Many trials,or experiments, are required to discover and select "winning"firms and technologies. Hence, the turnover (i.e., entry andexit) of firms is supposed to have positive effects on growth.Theory, furthermore, predicts that new and small firms are moreentrepreneurial and innovative and that they, therefore, willgrow faster than old and large firms. The empirical results show that firm growth decreases withfirm age, decreases with firm size, increases with firmindependence, decreases with government ownership and thatindustry growth increases with firm turnover. Moreover, thesmallest firms have been the major job contributors during the1993-1998 period investigated empirically. It is also shownthat employment growth is facilitated by a sustained high entryof firms. Lastly, many policies, several of which were introduced inthe late 1960s and early 1970s, have selectively supportedlarge firms in mature industries. Hence, they have exercised arelatively negative influence on exactly the types of firmsthat have been shown to contribute to growth. These policieshave also made the Swedish economy less flexible. It is arguedthat this partly explains the slow economic growth in Swedencompared to other ...

The growth of the Swedish Computing and Communicationsindustry is studied in this thesis. Growth is seen as a dynamicprocess moved by the entry, expansion, contraction and exit offirms. The analysis is founded on the theory of the ExperimentallyOrganised Economy, which views the economy as an experimentalprocess. The entire thesis is organised around the problem ofresource allocation and the issue of growth through theintroduction of new combinations into the economic system,using the terminology of Schumpeter (1911). Competence blocsdetermine the efficiency of the economic process, i.e., theextent to which it leads to sustained economic growth ratherthan stagnation. Change is a fundamental feature of theeconomic process, firms have to be flexible to survive and theeconomic system must promote flexibility to grow. Many trials,or experiments, are required to discover and select "winning"firms and technologies. Hence, the turnover (i.e., entry andexit) of firms is supposed to have positive effects on growth.Theory, furthermore, predicts that new and small firms are moreentrepreneurial and innovative and that they, therefore, willgrow faster than old and large firms. The empirical results show that firm growth decreases withfirm age, decreases with firm size, increases with firmindependence, decreases with government ownership and thatindustry growth increases with firm turnover. Moreover, thesmallest firms have been the major job contributors during the1993-1998 period investigated empirically. It is also shownthat employment growth is facilitated by a sustained high entryof firms. Lastly, many policies, several of which were introduced inthe late 1960s and early 1970s, have selectively supportedlarge firms in mature industries. Hence, they have exercised arelatively negative influence on exactly the types of firmsthat have been shown to contribute to growth. These policieshave also made the Swedish economy less flexible. It is arguedthat this partly explains the slow economic growth in Swedencompared to other OECD countries since the 1970s. Aninteresting question is where Sweden would have been today witha different policy orientation. Keywords:The Experimentally Organised Economy;Competence Blocs; Industrial dynamics; Industrialtransformation; Firm age, Small-firm growth; Turnover of firms;Computing and Communications industry; IT industry;Institutions.

High-growth firms (HGFs) are critical for net job creation and economic growth. We analyze HGFs using the theory of competence blocs, linking firm growth to property rights and the interaction of complementary expertise. Specifically, we discuss how the institutional framework affects the prevalence and performance of HGFs. Firm growth is viewed as resulting from the perpetual discovery and use of productive knowledge. A key element in this process is the competence bloc, a nexus of economic actors with complementary competencies that are vital in order to generate and commercialize novel ideas. The institutional framework determines the incentives for these individuals to acquire and utilize knowledge. We identify a number of institutions that foster the emergence of competence blocs and the creation of HGFs. In particular, our analysis points to the pivotal roles played by tax structures, labor market regulation, and the contestability of currently closed service markets. Finally, we characterize institutions beneficial for sclerotic or dynamic capitalism, respectively, depending on whether they provide a favorable environment for the emergence of competence blocs and the creation of HGFs.

In this paper it is argued that the size distribution of firms may largely be determined by institutional factors. This hypothesis is tested in an exploratory fashion by studying the evolution of the size distribution of firms over time in Sweden for a period spanning from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. The data used is divided into finer size classes compared to most previous studies. This gives more scope for investigating the impact of institutions. Moreover, we use a unique data set, starting in 1984, to take account of corporate groups and government ownership. The analysis shows a poor development for intermediate-sized (10-199 employees) firms. This is likely to reflect the existence of a threshold that many firms are either unwilling or unable to cross. The analysis of the institutions and rules of the game determining the entrepreneurial and business conditions in Sweden indicate that the conditions have been unfavorable for small firms, and hence that too few small firms have managed to grow out of the smallest size classes. The conclusion is supported by an international comparison of the number of firms in different size classes. Data indicate that Sweden has fewer small (10-99) employees), and more large (500+) firms per capita than other European countries.