The Effect of Military Base Closures on Young Adults [latest version]

(R&R at The Scandinavian Journal of Economics) 

Abstract: This study examines how young adults respond to the closure of a major local employer. I focus on military base closures in Sweden, which abruptly reduced career opportunities within the Swedish Armed Forces for individuals growing up nearby. The results show increased enrollment in tertiary enrollment for affected men, who choose to enroll into nearby colleges and universities. For women, labor market outcomes improved, with gains in both earnings and employment after a few years. This suggests that the structural change of the local labor market, resulting from the closure of a male-dominated employer, tends to benefit young women living nearby as they increase their employment in expanding sectors.

Presented at: Danish Public Choice Workshop (Aarhus, 2024); Copenhagen Education Network Workshop (2024); European Society for Population Economics (Rotterdam, 2024)

Other outlets:

• Ekonomisk Debatt (in Swedish)

• Outreach at the Department of Economics, Lund University

Parental Housing Wealth and Children's Early Adulthood (with Martin Nordin and James Nunn)

Abstract: Sweden has experienced a dramatic housing boom over the past two decades but the rise in housing wealth has been unevenly distributed across households and geographical regions. This study examines the relationship between parental housing wealth and early adulthood decisions using comprehensive Swedish house sale data from 2007 to 2021, linked with individual-level administrative data. We explore how changes in house values during childhood influence educational outcomes. While previous studies find that parental wealth is positively correlated with higher education enrolment, our findings challenge this view. We find that increased parental housing wealth is associated with lower participation in higher education, in particular in STEM fields. This is partly explained by lower academic performance in high school. The findings suggest that financial constraints may not be the primary barrier to higher education participation.

Presented at: Nordic Public Policy Symposium (Copenhagen, 2024); Workshop on Wealth Inequality, Wealth Accumulation, and Public Policy (Tampere, 2025) ; IFN Brown bag (Stockholm, 2025); Institute for Housing and Urban Research (Uppsala, 2025)

Rural Retrenchment and Marginalization in Sweden? Evidence from Employment Registers and Survey Data (with Andreas Bergh and Emanuel Wittberg)

Abstract: This study explores changes in the public sector's presence in rural Sweden. By using register data and combining occupational codes, educational backgrounds, and residencies, we track this presence accurately at the municipal level over time. In contrast to municipality aggregated data, our approach enables a more nuanced understanding of various public sector jobs by including both public and private sector employees. While welfare service employment dipped in the 1990s, we find a clear increase after 2000, particularly driven by teachers and nurses in rural areas. However, roles such as police officers, military personnel, and employment within correctional and judiciary services have declined. Moreover, we relate our findings to survey data, showing that trust in the public sector and its performance in rural areas has not fallen in the recent decades. This suggests a divergence between the narrative presented in media and politics, which often emphasize rural retrenchment, and the public's more accurate assessment of the actual situation.

Presented at: Urban-Rural Differences in the Nordic Welfare States (Malmö, 2023)

E-scooters, Accidents, and Urban Traffic: Evidence from staggered roll-out in Swedish municipalities [latest version] (with Andreas Bergh, Adrian Mehic, Joakim Wernberg)

Abstract: The rapid rise of e-scooters (electric scooters) in cities around the world, boosted by the introduction of shared e-scooter services has visibly reshaped the way people move around cities, sparking both excitement and controversy. With the increase in popularity of these vehicles, concerns regarding their impact on traffic safety and accidents have become a rising public concern. In this paper, we investigate the frequency of traffic accidents involving escooters following the introduction of shared e-scooter services in Swedish municipalities during the period 2019-2022. We use a staggered difference-in-difference regression to identify the causal effect of shared e-scooters on various types of traffic accidents using municipalities without e-scooters as a control group. We present three main findings. First, overall accidents increase by approximately one standard deviation in the first quarter following the introduction of shared e-scooters, but the overall effect decreases (0.5-1 standard deviation) over five quarters and vanishes over nine quarters. Second, the increase in accidents involving e-scooters is not associated with an increase in pedestrian or bicycle accidents. Instead, e-scooters are predominantly involved in accidents with cars. Third, the observed increase in accidents is largely attributable to large metropolitan areas, where urban traffic is usually more complex and intensive. 

The Effect of Left-Wing Party Control: Evidence from Swedish Local Governments

Abstract: This study estimates the causal effect of having left-wing majority and left-wing rule on a set of economic and policy outcomes by using panel data of Swedish local governments between 1995 and 2021. A regression discontinuity design exploits the discontinuous party control change at 50% of the mandate share making left-wing majority as good as randomly assigned to observations close to the threshold. The findings suggest a change in policy-related outcomes when left-wing parties reach power; an increase in immigration, tax revenue, and public employment, but no clear change in where public spending is allocated. Private sector outcomes, such as business climate and private sector employment are unaffected. Being in rule is more decisive than merely achieving a majority of mandates suggesting that cooperation within the block is key to reach political change . Finally, if the party constellation of left wing governments leans more to the left, rather than centre left, the effects are greater which conflicts with the median voter theorem.

Presented at: Danish Public Choice Workshop (Copenhagen, 2023)