The National Institute of Economic Research's Assignment on Swedish Firms' Pricing

The plan assumes that market actors prioritize short-term profit over social benefit and that the future cannot be left to the whim of market forces; the power of financial capital and large corporations must be broken through regulations and democratic control. That the government commits to being ready to act against unjustified price increases is a minimal application of that stance. The plan does not address price monitoring specifically, so the conclusion is inferred.

• the whim of the market is limiteddecisive»Det går inte att överlåta framtiden till marknadskrafternas godtycke, framtiden tillhör oss alla.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“One cannot leave the future to the whim of market forces; the future belongs to us all.”
• regulation of capital power»Finanskapitalets makt måste brytas genom regleringar och ökad« (party programme ↗)“The power of financial capital must be broken through regulations and increased”
• counter capital concentration»Kapital samlas på hög hos ett fåtal, ofta män, och klyftorna växer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Capital accumulates with a few, often men, and the gaps grow.”
• lower prices through public control»Det offentliga ska ta över ansvaret för elnätet, vilket kommer leda till minskade avgifter för hushållen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The public should take over responsibility for the electricity grid, which will lead to reduced charges for households.”

Worldstate weighed in: CPI inflation of about 12 per cent — makes the question of unjustified price increases acute in a way the plan did not foresee

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan explicitly states that the party is prepared to take further action if prices remain high and that targeted support shall protect those hardest hit by price increases. Committing to act if scrutiny reveals unjustified price increases aligns with this, as does the party programme's view that the market needs democratic counterweights and rules decided independently of the market. With inflation at 11.7 per cent, price formation is an acute application area for the plan.

• readiness to act on pricesdecisive»Vi är också beredda att göra ytterligare insatser vid fortsatt höga priser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are also prepared to take further action if prices remain high.”
• targeted support against price increases»Med riktade och smarta stöd kan vi stötta människor utan att driva på inflationen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With targeted and smart support we can help people without driving up inflation.”
• democratic counterweights to the market»Enbart regelverk som beslutas av institutioner oberoende av marknaden« (party programme ↗)“Only regulations decided by institutions independent of the market”
• counter market power»konkurrenslagstiftning ska motverka monopol och koncentration.« (party programme ↗)“competition law shall prevent monopoly and concentration.”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation at 11.7 per cent year-on-year — makes the plan's readiness to act on high prices directly applicable

The party programme gives the state the task of ensuring, through legislation and supervision, that sound conditions prevail in the market and that monopoly and cartel formation be counteracted, and wants strong consumer protection. That the government commits to being ready to act if scrutiny shows unjustified price increases directly follows from this. The counter-proposal's requirement is therefore supported.

• the state ensures sound market conditionsdecisive»Staten ska genom lagstiftning och övervakning se« (party programme ↗)“The state shall, through legislation and supervision, see”
• counteract cartel formation»regelförenklingsarbete. Monopol- och kartellbildningar ska motverkas för att skapa fungerande« (party programme ↗)“regulatory simplification. Monopoly and cartel formation shall be counteracted to create functioning”
• strong consumer protection»för konsumenterna genom god konsumentvägledning, tydlig märkning av varor och tjänster och« (party programme ↗)“for consumers through good consumer guidance, clear labelling of goods and services and”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation 11.7 per cent and policy rate 3.0 per cent — Makes readiness against unjustified price increases more urgent

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto establishes that freer markets and improved competition shall be used to dampen prices, and that measures are required that mitigate the worst effects of inflation for those with small margins. The party programme moreover makes competition an important driver in the market economy. That the state is prepared to act if scrutiny shows unjustified price increases thereby aligns with the plan, even though the plan's tools are competition rather than price regulations.

• competition dampens pricesdecisive»Genom att skapa friare marknader och förbättra konkurrensen kan vi dämpa priserna ytterligare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“By creating freer markets and improving competition, we can dampen prices further.”
• sound competition is protected»Konkurrens är en viktig drivkraft för utvecklingen av marknadsekonomin.« (party programme ↗)“Competition is an important driver for the development of the market economy.”
• protect small margins»För att möta detta krävs insatser som mildrar inflationens värsta effekter för dem med små marginaler.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To address this requires measures that mitigate the worst effects of inflation for those with small margins.”
• prices' effect on households»Skenande priser urholkar reallönerna och lämnar mindre pengar kvar i plånboken efter att räkningarna är betalda.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Soaring prices hollow out real wages and leave less money left in the wallet after bills are paid.”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation 12.0 percent year-on-year — Makes the plan's demand for price-dampening competition measures urgent and strengthens support for price monitoring.; Policy rate 3.0 percent and falling GDP — Reinforces the plan's focus on households with small margins.

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme states that private power too can be abused and that the market economy therefore needs strong competition legislation, and the election manifesto wants to combat inflationary pressure. A commitment to be prepared to act if scrutiny shows unjustified price increases is precisely such a readiness to maintain sound competition. The plan says nothing about the National Institute of Economic Research's mandate, so the support is derived.

• private power can be abuseddecisive»Även den privata makten kan missbrukas.« (party programme ↗)“Private power too can be abused.”
• strong competition legislation»behövs en stark konkurrenslagstiftning och konsumentlagar som ger rätt till korrekt produktinformation.« (party programme ↗)“strong competition legislation and consumer laws are needed that give the right to correct product information.”
• combat inflationary pressure»Vi vill mota inflationstrycket.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to combat inflationary pressure.”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation 12.0 per cent in annual rate — Makes price formation an acute purchasing-power issue and actualizes the plan's commitment to combat inflationary pressure.

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan gives the state the role of ensuring that legislation and good ethics are maintained in the market and requires effective competition policy against oligopoly and unfair competition. A readiness to act if scrutiny shows unjustified price increases lies within this supervisory role. The plan, however, does not specify any price interventions, so the grounds are weak.

• statlig tillsyn av marknadendecisive»Statens roll i näringspolitiken är att övervaka att« (party programme ↗)“The state's role in business policy is to ensure that”
• effektiv konkurrenspolitik»effektiv konkurrenspolitik motverkar oligopol, monopol och illojal konkurrens« (party programme ↗)“effective competition policy counteracts oligopoly, monopoly and unfair competition”
• etiskt handlande på marknaden»effektiv konkurrens, stabila institutioner och etiskt handlande« (party programme ↗)“effective competition, stable institutions and ethical conduct”
• informerade konsumenter»En fungerande marknadsekonomi kräver aktiva« (party programme ↗)“A functioning market economy requires active”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation around 12 percent — makes price formation function an issue the plan did not anticipate

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan is based on a market economy founded on private ownership and freedom of contract and rejects politicization of the economy. It explicitly says that no government can compensate for all price increases; the answer is responsible economic policy, not promises to intervene in businesses' pricing. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.

• market economy and freedom of contractdecisive»Grunden för Sveriges välstånd är en marknadsekonomi baserad« (party programme ↗)“The foundation of Sweden's prosperity is a market economy based”
• no price compensation»Ingen regering kan kompensera för alla prishöjningar men vi kan städa undan de värsta misstagen som begåtts under de senaste åren.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“No government can compensate for all price increases but we can clear away the worst mistakes that have been made in recent years.”
• no politicization of the economy»På samma sätt som en politisering av ekonomin« (party programme ↗)“In the same way as a politicization of the economy”
• responsible economic policy»Sverige behöver hitta tillbaka till en ansvarsfull ekonomisk politik som bygger upp motståndskraft mot kriser och genomföra reformer för fler i arbete.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to return to responsible economic policy that builds resilience against crises and implements reforms to get more people into work.”

The plan defends the market economy and demands long-term, predictable rules for business; its answer to high prices is lower taxes and strengthened competitiveness, not political intervention in companies' pricing. A commitment that the government should be ready to act against price increases opens for such involvement. The requirement is therefore rejected, although on a derived basis.

• defend market economydecisive»Sverigedemokraterna ser att marknadsekonomi, valfrihet inom välfärden och internationell handel gynnar samhället och är viktigt att försvara« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats see that market economy, choice within welfare and international trade benefit society and are important to defend”
• responsible market economy»En ansvarsfull, reglerad marknadsekonomi, byggd på långsiktigt tänkande« (party programme ↗)“A responsible, regulated market economy, built on long-term thinking”
• long-term rules»Näringslivet behöver goda villkor och långsiktiga förutsättningar som är globalt konkurrenskraftiga.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Business needs good conditions and long-term predictable conditions that are globally competitive.”
• taxes ahead of price intervention»Ha skatter på en nivå som inte hämmar svenska företag i den internationella konkurrensen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Have taxes at a level that does not hamper Swedish companies in international competition”