Historically, trade and economic integration between countries have been associated with peace, growth and increased prosperity. With globalisation, digitalisation and the spread of the internet, the thresholds for economic and social exchange both locally and globally have been lowered, but with this also comes new areas of conflict – criminal activity, cyber-attacks and geopolitical tugs-of-war.

The tension between economic integration and political sovereignty is giving a boost to nationalist and protectionist ideas and a growing call to regulate digital markets. Are fragmentation and disintegration really the only answer?

Contributing authors to this year’s Swedish Economic Forum book are:

Richard Allan, House of Lords, UK – Gearing up for the Splinternet

Maryann Feldman, Arizona State University – Digitalization, Platforms and Neoliberalism: The Demise of the Local

Thijs Van de Graaf, Ghent University – The Geoeconomics of Renewables: Implications for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Tim Rühlig, German Council on Foreign Relations – Technical Standardization and Innovation in a Geopolitical Landscape

Jacquelyn Schneider, Hoover Institution – Digital Dependencies, Pandemics, and the Capability-Vulnerability Paradox

Editors:

Enrico Deiaco and Joakim Wernberg, Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum