ACADEMIC POSITIONS

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (October 2019 –)

Research Fellow

• Conducting research in the economics of social policy.

• Member of the National Agency for Education's external reference group regarding international tests, such as PISA and TIMSS.

London School of Economics (October 2019 – October 2023)

Visiting Fellow

• Conducting research on the effects of English free schools on academic achievement.

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (March 2012 – September 2019)

Affiliated Research Fellow

• Conducted research in education economics and wrote policy-related reports.

• Member of two expert panels that advised Anna Kinberg Batra, then leader of the Swedish opposition, and Anna König Jerlmyr, then shadow city commissioner in Stockholm, on education policy.

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel and Henrik Jordahl. 2023. Test scores and economic growth: update and extension. Applied Economics Letters, doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2023.2168604

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2023. Group Threat and Voter Turnout: Evidence from a Refugee Placement Programme. Economics & Politics, doi.org/10.1111/ecpo.12224.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2023. Lifelong Learning and Employment Outcomes: Evidence from Sweden. Education Economics, doi.org/10.1080/09645292.2022.2059804.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel and Johan Wennström. 2022. The Fatal Conceit: Swedish Education after Nazism. Journal of Controversial Studies, 2(1), 9.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2018. Smart but unhappy: Independent-school competition and the wellbeing-efficiency trade-off in education. Economics of Education Review, 62: 66–81

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2017. Retirement blues. Journal of Health Economics, 54: 66–78

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2014. Handing over the school keys: The impact of privatisation on education quality. Economic Affairs, 34(2): 196–210

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2011. Schooling for money: Swedish education reform and the role of the profit motive. Economic Affairs, 31(3): 28–35

WORKING PAPERS & WORK IN PROGRESS

Bertoni, Marco, Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren, and Olmo Silva. 2023 ‘Free to Improve? The Impact of Free School Attendance in England’, CEP Discussion Paper no 1946 (Revise & resubmit - March 2025).

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2023 ‘Independent-School Competition and Sweden's Performance in TIMSS’, Working Paper nr 1472. Stockholm: Institutet för Näringslivsforskning.

Burgess, Simon and Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren. 2018. Motivated to Succeed? Attitudes to Education among Native and Immigrant Pupils in England’, IZA Discussion Paper No. 11678.

BOOKS & BOOK CHAPTERS

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2025. Elever med svensk bakgrund presterar bra – men invandringen kräver mer, in Stark skola. Samhällsförlaget: Stockholm.

Sanandaji, Nima and Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren. 2022. Normboken: vad spelar normer för roll och hur har de förändrats över tid? Vulkan: Stockholm.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel and Nima Sanandaji. 2019. Glädjeparadoxen – Historien om skolans uppgång, fall och möjliga upprättelse. Dialogos: Stockholm.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel and Henrik Jordahl. 2016. Information – ett verktyg för bättre skolsystem. SNS Förlag: Stockholm.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2015. Real Finnish Lessons. CPS: London.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2015. Selection by Choice, in The Ins and Outs of Selective Secondary Schools. Civitas: London.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2013. Incentivising Excellence: School Choice and Education Quality. CMRE & IEA: London.

SELECTED OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2024. Skyll inte på friskolorna när eleverna räknar fel. Op-ed. DN Debatt.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2023. Kulturchefer ger skev bild av läskrisen. Op-ed. SvD Kultur.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2023. Friskolereformen har ökat kunskaperna bland alla elever. Op-ed. Dagens Nyheter.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2023. Sveriges skola bland de mest likvärdiga i OECD. Op-ed. Svenska Dagbladet.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2023. En av världens mest likvärdiga skolor. Report. ECEPR.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2023. Dagens system är byggt för att skapa orättvisa betyg. Op-ed. Dagens Nyheter.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2022. Svensk skola är bland de bästa i världen. Op-ed. Dagens Nyheter.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2022. Så räddades skolan - men invandringen kräver mer. Article. Kvartal.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2022. Kunskapsskolan är återuppstånden. Article. Kvartal.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2022. Kunskapsskolans återkomst. Report. Timbro.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2022. Stora skillnader i skolkvalitet. En geografisk kartläggning av förädlingsvärden i matematik. Report. Svenskt Näringsliv.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2021. Bra skolor i hela landet – skillnader i resultat mellan stad och land i TIMSS 2019. Report. Svenskt Näringsliv.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2020. Skolvalet, kunskaperna och likvärdigheten. Report. Timbro.

Keogh, Bruce and Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren. 2019. Låt Ivo betygsätta vårdgivare och publicera läkares resultat. Op-ed. Dagens Nyheter.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2019. Teknik i skolan – vad kan vi lära av forskningen? Report. Timbro.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel and Nima Sanandaji. 2019. Gör skolan tråkigare och jobbigare för eleverna. Op-ed. Svenska Dagbladet.

Sanandaji, Nima and Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren. 2019. Ålderskris – Vad kan vi lära av sjukvården i Nederländerna. Report. Timbro.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel and Nima Sanandaji. 2018. Spelregler för långsiktigt hållbar välfärd. Report. Timbro.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel (with Jon Andrews, Natalie Perera, Andy Eyles, Stephen Machin, Matteo Sandi, and Olmo Silva). 2017. The impact of academies on educational outcomes. Report. Education Policy Institute.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2017. Skolverket tolkar Pisa fel – Likvärdigheten inte försämrad. Op-ed. Dagens Nyheter.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2017. What the Conservative manifesto should pledge on education. Op-ed. The Telegraph.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2016. Regulation and funding of independent schools: Lessons from Sweden. Report. Fraser Institute.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2015. Invandringens effekter på skolresultat kräver krafttag. Op-ed. Dagens Nyheter.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2015. Why the golden boy of education has lost his lustre. Op-ed. The Times.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2015. Finland är inget föredöme – skolframgångarna feltolkas. Op-ed. Dagens Nyheter.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2015. Invandringen och Sveriges resultatfall i PISA. IFN Policy Paper 71.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel and Julian Le Grand. 2014. How to get school competition right. Magazine article. Standpoint.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel and Julian Le Grand. 2014. Let schools compete and students will be winners. Op-ed. Financial Times.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2014. Income from work – The fourth pillar of income provision in old age. IEA Discussion Paper No. 52.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2013. Dislocation: School choice, residential segregation, and education equality. Report. Centre for Education Economics.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2013. Att skapa en skolmarknad. Report. Timbro.

Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel. 2007. The United States-South Korea Free Trade Agreement: An economic and political analysis. CEI Issue Analaysis.

SELECTED NON-ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Centre for Education Economics (January 2013 – May 2019)

Research Director

• Edited the organisation’s flagship research digest.

• Chaired meetings, panel discussions, and conferences on education policy.

• Advised civil servants in the Department for Education (England) on education policy.

Göteborgs-Posten (January 2017– December 2017)

Columnist

• Wrote monthly columns about social and policy.

Dagens Samhälle (January 2016– March 2017)

Columnist

• Wrote bi-weekly columns about public policy.

Institute of Economic Affairs (January – December 2012)

Research Fellow

• Researched the effects of retirement on health and how to raise older people’s labour-market participation rates.

• Commented on education and retirement policy in UK and international media.

Institute of Directors (September – December 2011)

Research Consultant

• Advised the Chief Economist on education and skills policy.

• Researched school-choice policy in England and Wales.

Cato Institute (June – August 2009)

Summer Fellow

• Researched American trade policy on behalf of the head of the trade department.

Forum for Reforms and Entrepreneurship (May – September 2008)

Researcher

• Researched various policy issues and potential donors for the think tank.

Americans for Tax Reform (August – December 2007)

Federal Affairs Associate

• Authored policy briefs and press releases on issues relating to property rights and energy tax policy.

Competitive Enterprise Institute (June – August 2007)

Summer Fellow

• Wrote a paper on the US-South Korea free-trade agreement and presented it on Capitol Hill.

US Congressman Ron Paul (January – May 2007)

Legislative Intern

• Monitored congressional hearings and briefings on behalf of permanent staff.

SELECTED AWARDS

Titmuss Prizes for Outstanding Performance and Best Dissertation

• Two prizes awarded in November 2015 for outstanding performance and the best MSc dissertation in the Social Policy department at the London School of Economics.

Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust Award

• Prize awarded in April 2015 for the book Real Finnish Lessons: The True Story of an Education Superpower.

Arthur Seldon Award for Excellence

• Prize awarded in July 2011 for my paper Schooling for Money: Swedish Education Reform and the Role of the Profit Motive, given for the best publication in the previous two years at the Institute of Economic Affairs.

H.D. Schmidt Prize                                                                                               

• Prize awarded in July 2010 for the best long essays among all politics students at Cambridge University.

Jennings Prizes

• Prizes awarded by Wolfson College at the University of Cambridge for receiving a First in the 2010 examinations and a Starred First in the final 2011 examinations.

REFERENCES

Professor Sir Julian Le Grand (London School of Economics)

Professor Olmo Silva (London School of Economics)

Professor Magnus Henrekson (Research Institute of Industrial Economics)

Professor Henrik Jordahl (Örebro University & Research Institute of Industrial Economics)