Gunnar Myrdal
A Life of Many Dilemmas
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11697459 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Benny Carlson (0000-0002-1414-4094, Lund University , Lund), Mats Lundahl (0000-0001-8519-8308, Stockholm School of Economics, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 238-240 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-28 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contributions to Political Economy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0277-5921 • E-ISSN: 1464-3588 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/cpe/bzag002 |
| OpenAlex | W7134842398 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 2 |
Gustav Cassel once declared that his production was so extensive and widespread that no one would be able to write his complete biography. Much the same could be said about his favourite student and successor as professor at Stockholm University, Gunnar Myrdal—1051 publications up to 1976 (Bohrn, 1976)—with the addition that this task is perhaps even harder in view of everything that has been written about Myrdal. Nonetheless, a Myrdal biography is now available, written by Claes Berg, former chief economist at the Swedish Riksbank. It takes courage and passion for the subject to write such a biography. It is great that it has been done. Gunnar Myrdal is a famous economist and Nobel laureate. He and his wife, Alva, are usually seen as the architects behind the Swedish ‘People’s Home’—the modern Swedish welfare society—and their influence has extended far beyond the Swedish border. Many of the features which characterise today’s Swedish society can be derived from the path the couple took in the 1930s. For younger generations the societal framework and its architects mainly appear as nostalgic shadow images. To shed light on this path is hence highly laudable. The Myrdals have furthermore made tangible footprints on the world stage; in particular, Gunnar’s grand investigations of American race and third world development issues belong to the great social science classics.
Biography · Courage · Favourite · Passion · Shadow (psychology) · Subject (documents) · Successor cardinal · Diverse Interdisciplinary Research Studies · History and advancements in chemistry · Philosophy and History of Science
| Highly cited | No |
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