Many in Sweden see globalisation, the increasing integration of economies through trade and financial flows, as an opportunity for growth and jobs. The recently elected Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt is one of them. He has now appointed a think tank, the Globalization Council, to tackle the challenges of going global. Denmark serves as a model, having established a similar council in 2004.

By the next general election in 2010, the Globalization Council will prepare a comprehensive strategy for bolstering Sweden’s place as a leader in the global economy. A large part of the council’s work will involve finding ways to strengthen education, research activities, and innovation.

The Council is chaired by Science and Education Minister Lars Leijonborg and includes business leaders, academic representatives (Karin Markides, President, Chalmers University of Technology and Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, President, Karolinska Institutet), global experts (among them Olle Wästberg, Director-General of the Swedish Institute), labour union spokespersons and members of the cabinet.