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Lars Pålsson Syll
Professor at Malmö University. Primary research interest - the philosophy, history and methodology of economics.

Lars P. Syll

On mathematics and economics

On mathematics and economics Studying mathematics and logic is interesting and fun. It sharpens the mind. But economics is not pure mathematics or logic. It’s about society. The real world. Forgetting that, economics becomes nothing but an irrelevant and uninteresting ‘Glasperlenspiel.’ Or as Knut Wicksell put it already a century ago: One must, of course, beware of expecting from this method more than it can give. Out of the crucible of calculation comes...

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Significance testing and the real tasks of social science

Significance testing and the real tasks of social science After having mastered all the technicalities of regression analysis and econometrics, students often feel as though they are masters of the universe. I usually cool them down with the required reading of Christopher Achen’s modern classic Interpreting and Using Regression. It usually gets​ them back on track again, and they understand that no increase in methodological sophistication … alter the...

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Sverige behöver en hållbar riksbankslag

Sverige behöver en hållbar riksbankslag Ett lands centralbank har makten att skapa pengar och styra hur dessa används. Det gör Riksbanken till en avgörande institution för Sveriges möjligheter till hållbar omställning. Ska denna makt kunna användas på ett konstruktivt sätt måste Riksbankens mål och verktygslåda uppdateras. Annars finns risk att penningpolitiken fortsätter på den tidigare kritiserade banan där låg ränta och kvantitativa lättnader blåst...

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The main insight of MMT

The main insight of MMT MMT is, first and foremost, a balance sheet approach to macroeconomics. At its very core lie reserve accounting, then deposit accounting, and then sectoral balances accounting. There is very little behaviour in any of this. Equilibrium rules as all balances balance – in both flows and stocks – and there are no assumptions apart from the existence of a central bank, a Treasury, a banking system and some households and firms. MMT can...

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Pelle the Conqueror

.[embedded content] Max von Sydow (1929-2020) was a Swedish actor who featured in more than 100 films and TV series. He made many memorable roles, but the one that has touched me most is as the father in Pelle Erobreren — based on Martin Andersen Nexö’s epic masterpiece. Bille August directed. Stefan Nilsson wrote the music. Max von Sydow made the performance of his life. And it breaks my heart every time I watch it.

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