Nima Sanandaji

Education

Sanandaji was born to middle-class ethnic Kurdish parents in Tehran. His parents came to Sweden from Iran in 1989. Sanandaji was raised in Stockholm. He has conducted research in structural biochemistry at Cambridge University and has a degree in biotechnology from Chalmers University of Technology. He has a PhD from the Royal Institute of Technology in polymer engineering. Nima has previously been chairman of the Free Moderate Student League and the Swedish-American Association, both based in Gothenburg.

Authorship

Sanandaji was one of the authors of the Timbro report "Welcome to Sweden! On political bias in the SFI literature, Swedish for immigrants" which criticized the SFI training of having a politicized message in favor of the Social Democrats. He has published more than 20 books, mostly in Swedish, on policy issues such as women's career opportunities, integration, entrepreneurship and reforms which encourage innovation in the provision of public services.

Sanandaji's first English book is Renaissance for Reforms, written together with Professor Stefan Fölster. The book was published in 2014 through a co-operation with Swedish think tank Timbro and UK-based think tank Institute of Economic Affairs. Through analysis of modern democracies since the mid 1990s, the authors question the idea that reformist governments are seldom re-elected. Rather, they show that those governments that have introduced market reforms have on average been more likely to win re-election. The book has gained the attention of media and think-tanks in a number of countries, including Sweden, Austria, Norway, the UK, and Bulgaria.

In 2014 Sanandaji published the book "SuperEntrepreneurs" co-authored with his brother Tino Sanandaji, an economist. The book looks into the background of the more than a thousand individuals around the world who have amassed more than $1 billion through entrepreneurship, examining which conditions foster entrerpeneurship. On its release SuperEntrepreneurs gained massive international attention. It was the front page story of the Daily Telegraph and independently also reported by the Times, the Daily Mail, and NBC News. A range of international media followed up on these initial reports.

NBC quoted SuperEntrepreneurs by stating: "The results indicate the American Dream – the notion that it is possible for individuals to rise to the top through effort, luck and genius – is not yet dead. Self-made billionaire entrepreneurs have created millions of jobs, billions of dollars in private wealth and probably trillions of dollars of value for society".

Richard Branson, the entrepreneur who has founded Virgin, criticized SuperEntrepreneurs for not having emphasis on the need for public support of entrepreneurs. Branson wrote on his blog: "I am a big believer in the power of entrepreneurship as a key driver of economic growth, job creation and innovation. However, if we want more successful entrepreneurs, they need to be supported with long-term thinking and creative support structures."

Sanandaji has written numerous reports for organizations such as the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, the Swedish Taxpayers' Association, Företagarna, Vinnova and the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.

He has also written contributions for the anthologies Self-Control or State Control? You Decide by Dr. Tom G. Palmer and A U-Turn on the Road to Serfdom by Grover G. Nordquist.

Scandinavian Unexceptionalism

In his book Scandinavian Unexceptionalism, Nima Sanandaji promotes the idea that unique norms and free markets can explain the economic and social success of Scandinavia rather than large welfare states. In June 2015, The book was published by the British think tank Institute of Economic Affairs, and was also released in Stockholm in co-operation with think tank Timbro. The foreword is written by US libertarian author Tom Palmer.

In the book, Sanandaji argues that particularly the left has long praised Scandinavian countries for their high levels of welfare provision and admirable societal outcomes. Although true that Scandinavian countries are successful, the author makes the case that this success pre-dates the welfare state. According to Sanandaji Scandinavians became successful by combining a culture with strong emphasis on individual responsibility with economic freedom. This can also explain why Scandinavian Americans, who live outside Nordic welfare states, have low levels of poverty and high levels of prosperity.

The book has been cited in more than a hundred international publications, including the Wall Street Journal, The Daily Telegraph, ABC, Financial Post, The New York Post, Taiwanese publication Tech Finance News, Chicago Tribune, and Forbes.

The Economist has cited the findings of the book that Nordic-Americans are considerably more prosperous than their cousins in the Nordics:

"According to a study from the Institute of Economic Affairs, Swedish-Americans are considerably richer than the average American—as are other Scandinavian-Americans. The poverty rate of Americans with Swedish ancestry is only 6.7%, half the national average. Swedish-Americans are better off even than their cousins at home: their average income is 50% higher than theirs, a number used by opponents of the Swedish model as an argument against the shackles of big government. Their success in America seems solidly grounded in old national virtues. They have more trust in each other and in government; they tend to obey rules (leading to many jokes about “squareheads” and “dumb blondes”). The Protestant work ethic is strong: in Minneapolis in particular, the number of Lutheran churches is striking. Scandinavian-Americans also display a keen civic sense, whether in shovelling snow or helping elderly neighbours, from which everyone benefits"

Jeff Jacoby at New York Post has written: "In "Scandinavian Unexceptionalism," a penetrating new book published by the Institute of Economic Affairs, Sanandaji shows that the Nordic nations' prosperity 'developed during periods characterized by free-market policies, low or moderate taxes, and limited state involvement in the economy.'" Rich Lowry at the National Review relates the book to Bernie Sanders' vision of introducing Nordic-style welfare policies in the US: "There are a couple of things wrong with the Left's romance with these countries, as Swedish analyst Nima Sanandaji notes in a recent monograph. It doesn't fully appreciate the sources of Nordic success, or how Scandinavia has turned away from the socialism so alluring to its international admirers."

Chris Matthews writes in Fortune: "economists like Nobelist Joseph Stiglitz have argued that American policy makers should use Scandinavia as a model for promoting more balanced growth. ... Nima Sanandaji, a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies, argues that this line of thinking is too convenient. If you want to measure he effects of high government spending and wealth redistribution, there are plenty of other examples to draw lessons from. “Why not bring up Italy or France?” Sanandaji asks, referring to two other large, but less robust, economies with large welfare states."

Scandinavian Unexceptionalism has been translated to Polish, titled Mit Skandynawii. Spanish translation has been released in South and Central America as well as Spain, with a foreword from Mauricio Rojas, associate professor of economic history at Lund University in Sweden and senior fellow at Chilean think tank FPP. The Spanish version, titled "El poco excepcional modelo escandinavo" can be downloaded for free online. Parts of the book and previous versions of it have been translated to Persian, German, French and Korean.

The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox

The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox is a book by Nima Sanandaji which argues that the Nordic nations, which are often ranked as being the most gender equal in the world, have policies that hinder women from reaching the top. In February 2016, the book was published by Swedish think tank Timbro. The foreword is written by Timbro president Karin Svanborg-Sjövall.

In the book, Sanandaji writes that the Nordic societies at first glance seem to have it all:

"a historic tradition of women’s entrepreneurship, modern welfare states that provide support to working parents, outstanding levels of women’s participation in the labour market and populations that strongly support the idea of gender equality. It therefore comes as a surprise that Nordic countries, in one international ranking after another, are shown to have few women among top-managers and business owners. Another surprise is that the three Baltic countries, which have more conservative societies and a more small-government approach than their Nordic neighbors, have more women managers, top executives and business owners."

The book has been cited widely by international media. Robert M. Sauer cited the book in Jerusalem Times as an argument for why Israel should not copy Nordic welfare policies to achieve gender equality:

“Despite generous support for working parents and high rates of female labor force participation, Nordic countries score very poorly in international rankings that tally the number of women among senior managers and business owners.”

Steve Austin interviewed Sanandaji for ABC Radio Brisbane in Australia. In the Washington Examiner, Michael Barone related the book to then-president candidate Hillary Clinton's plan for equalizing pay:

“Hillary Clinton's solutions for equalizing pay — "flexible scheduling, paid family leave and earned sick days" — tend to encourage women to take time off from work, which in turn tends toward lower lifetime earnings. That's certainly been the effect in Scandinavia, where such policies have been carried farthest. The effect, Swedish scholar Nima Sanandaji writes, is that "many women work, but seldom in the private sector and seldom enough hours to reach the top.”

Andrea Mrozek wrote about the findings of the book in Canadian Financial Post, as an argument against gender quotas:

“The government of Ontario recently announced gender quotas for provincial boards. It wants private companies to follow its lead over the next five years. This, we are told, will not only help women, it will improve company performance. Is this actually true? A book about the Nordic experience released in May 2016 punctures those hopes and should be cause for reconsidering Ontario’s path. The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox by Nima Sanandaji assesses gender-equality programs and plans in Iceland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Specifically in Norway, the evidence from studying quotas show neutral or negative results, both for women’s advancement and company performance — the two areas we are told will most obviously benefit.”

US economist Tyler Cowen criticized the book for not having enough “formal econometric treatment” and stated that he did not regard it “to be the final word”. Still, Cowen wrote:

“It is nonetheless a consistently interesting take which revises a lot of the stereotypes many people have about the Nordic countries as being so absolutely wonderful for gender egalitarianism in every regard.”

The book was also cited by media in other countries, including Russia, Poland, Norway, Estonia and Colombia.

Debunking Utopia

In the summer of 2016 WND Books, an American conservative publisher and news outlet, published “Debunking Utopia – Exposing the Myth of Nordic Socialism”. In this book Nima Sanandaji expands on the same themes as Scandinavian Unexceptionalism. Parts of the two books are highly similar or even identical. Debunking Utopia is longer, written in an easier to read language compared to the more academically oriented Scandinavian Unexeptionalism, and links the topic to the Bernie Sanders campaign for the Democratic nomination which at the time was ongoing. A key argument made in the book is that already in 1960, before the shift towards high taxes and a large welfare state, Nordic countries were well ahead of the US and other modern countries in terms of welfare measures such as long life span and low child mortality. Debunking Utopia states that in 1960 Danes on average lived 2.4 years longer than Americans, at a time when Denmark had a lower tax rate than the US. The latest data for 2013, when Denmark had the highest tax rate in the world, however show that the difference had shrunk to 1.5 years. This trend is also true for Sweden and Norway.

The introduction to Debunking Utopia states that the book is written to address the rising popularity of Nordic-style social democracy in the US and elsewhere:

“Social democracy is becoming increasingly popular among the Left in the United States. An important reason is that positive role models exist. In fact, a number of countries with social democratic policies—namely, the Nordic nations—have seemingly become everything that the Left would like America to be: prosperous, yet equal and with good social outcomes. Bernie Sanders himself has explained: ‘I think we should look to countries like Denmark, like Sweden and Norway and learn from what they have accomplished for their working people.’”

Sanandaji was invited to write about the book in Foreign Affairs and National Review. Shortly after its release, Debunking Utopia was promoted by many center-right and pro-market talk-shows, think tanks and media outlets. James Pethokoukis at the Washington-based conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute promoted the book by writing “When it comes to democratic socialism, Feel the Bern Democrats are stuck in the past”. Dan Mitchell at the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, also based in Washington, also wrote about the book:

“I’m delighted to share a new National Review column about the ostensibly wonderful Nordic Model from Nima Sanandaji. He starts by noting that statists are big fans of nations such as Sweden and Denmark. […] Sounds nice, but there’s one itsy-bitsy problem with the left’s hypothesis. Simply stated, everything good about Nordic nations was already in place before the era of big government.”

Cato Institute also invited Nima Sanandaji to record a podcast on why the US should not adopt Nordic-style social democracy. American writer Joel Kotkin wrote an opinion piece originally published in the Orange County Register and syndicated by other publications with the title “What happened to my party?”. Kotkin criticized left-leaning Democrats who idealize Nordic-style social democracy:

“The Bernie Bros and Gals think that higher taxes and more generous welfare benefits can turn America into a kind of mega-Scandinavia. They ignore the fact that, as author Nima Sanandaji has pointed out, the Nordic welfare state drew from generations of rapid growth built on small government, free markets and cultural factors, and that, in more recent years, countries such as Sweden have embraced a stronger free-market stance in order to pay for their generous welfare systems.”

Other conservatives and libertarians who referred to the book in the US include Kevin D. Williamson in the National Review, John Larabell in the The New American, Alice B. Lloyd in the Weekly Standard. Gene Epstein gave the book a positive review in Barrons. US economist Tyler Cowen wrote a column about the book, both praising and criticizing it for overstating its case, which appeared in numerous outlets including Bloomberg, Las Vegas Review-Journal and Chicago Tribune. Cowen wrote:

“Nima Sanandaji, a Swedish policy analyst and president of European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform, has recently published a book called "Debunking Utopia: Exposing the Myth of Nordic Socialism." And while the title may be overstated, his best facts and figures are persuasive. For instance, Danish-Americans have a measured living standard about 55 percent higher than the Danes in Denmark. Swedish-Americans have a living standard 53 percent higher than the Swedes, and Finnish-Americans have a living standard 59 percent higher than those back in Finland. Only for Norway is the gap a small one, because of the extreme oil wealth of Norway, but even there the living standard of American Norwegians measures as 3 percent higher than in Norway. And that comparison is based on numbers from 2013, when the price of oil was higher, so probably that gap has widened.[…] It is difficult, after seeing those figures, to conclude that the U.S. ought to be copying the policies of the Nordic nations wholesale.”

Financial Times quoted the figures by Tyler Cowen, mistakingly linking them to him rather than the original author Nima Sanandaji [1].Debunking Utopia has mainly spread through various market-oriented think tanks and opinion pages, in various Central- and South American, European and Asian media outlets. This includes North Korea Times, which translated Tyler Cowens review of Debunking Utopia from the syndicated copy published in The Japan Times.

Debunking Utopia has overall mostly been cited by those agreeing with the views of the book. The leading Norwegian daily paper Dagbladet however invited both the author Nima Sanandaji, and his critics to give their perspective. Einar Lier, professor in economic history, and Thori Lind, researcher in social economics, criticized the book by writing that most researchers already know that Nordic prosperity preceded the welfare state. The two authors also criticize the comparison that Sanandaji does, showing that the life span difference between Norway and the US was larger in 1960, before the shift towards a large welfare state in Norway, than after this transformation had occurred. According to Lier and Lind, this comparison is not relevant since the rising life expectancy in the US is explained by a catching-up of African Americans.

In Denmark the TV-channel DR2, part of Denmark's public service broadcasting company, organized a debate about Debunking Utopia. Sigge Winther Nielsen, the host of the debate show Deadline, encouraged Ole Birk Olesen, member of liberal/libertarian party Liberal Alliance and previously minister for finance, taxes and municipal affairs in Denmark to debate the book with Kasper Fogh, chief of political affairs and communication at left-of-center think tank CEVEA. Sigge Winther Nielsen argued that the perspectives of Debunking Utopia were relevant for Denmark, which should use this insight to encourage individual responsibility and shift away from a generous welfare state, while Kasper Fogh agued that Denmarks prosperity was linked to a large welfare state. The debate is available on Youtube. In Sweden, Per Gudmundson, center-right editorial writer at the daily paper Svenska Dagbladet similarly to Kasper Foght argued in favour of Debunking Utopia. One of the two editorials written by Gudmundson about the book was entitled “It was a long time since I was so refreshed!”.

Criticism

Sanandaji have received criticism by the left-wing online Jacobin magazine for his claim that Scandinavian culture and high trust accounts for Nordic prosperity rather than welfare spending and high taxes, which Sanandaji substantiates by comparing the GDP per capita of Nordic citizens with American citizens of Nordic heritage. The Jacobin magazine argued in an article in 2016 that Sanandaji did not adequately explain why using race and ethnicity is a more accurate measure to compare relative social mobility than social class. Ingvild Reymert, a politician in the Norwegian Socialist Left Party have also criticized Sanandaji's book Debunking Utopia. Reymert argues that Nordic tax and income redistribution policies were, contrary to Sanandajis argument, the main explanation for the high level of income equality in these countries.

In public

Sanandaji is a frequent visitor to Almedalen Week. In 2008, Expressen newspaper selected Sanandaji as the third most important speaker in Almedalen Week. The Swedish economic magazine Dagens Industri ranked him third out of Sweden's 101 super talents. He often participates in debates on hot topics, but his style is rather non-confrontational.