Okun´s law describes the empirical observation first made by Arthur Okun relating changes in an economy’s unemployment rate to changes in output. Where many earlier research papers since then focus on comparisons between countries, this paper attempts to assess whether Okun’s law is demonstrated in the five Nordic countries and analyse the relationship between unemployment and output in welfare states. The results show a significant statistical relationship and hopefully present an interesting opportunity for further research.

Under de senaste decennierna har Venture Capital marknaden genomgått flera faser av tillväxt och tillbakagång. Fenomenet har uppmärksammats av tidigare forskning som konstaterat att externa drivkrafter är en av de bakomliggande faktorerna till volatiliteten, men där det råder en oenighet kring effekten. Denna studie undersöker hur externa drivkrafter påverkar svenska Venture Capital investeringar under perioden 2007–2021. Syftet är att analysera och förklara hur externa drivkrafter påverkar Venture Capital bolagens investeringsbeteende. Genom regressionsanalyser undersöktes hur IPO, aktiemarknaden, BNP och styrräntan påverkar totala investeringar men även investeringar i de olika faserna (sådd-, uppstart- och senare fasen). Resultaten visar att IPO är den mest betydelsefulla drivkraften som påverkar Venture Capital investeringar positivt i alla faser. Effekten blir allt större ju mognare bolaget är, eftersom eventuell exit ligger närmre i tiden. Vidare indikerar resultaten på att en positiv aktiemarknad påverkar investeringar negativt, men där signifikans endast påvisades i såddfasen. Förvånande är att både BNP och styrräntan har en icke signifikant negativ inverkan på Venture Capital investeringar. Utifrån studien går det att dra slutsatsen att externa drivkrafter har varit en bakomliggande orsak till de stora fluktuationerna i VC-investeringarna. IPO-marknaden har störst inverkan eftersom drivkraften är direkt hänförbar till investeringsprocessen. Studien är viktig för att förstå vad som driver Venture Capital investeringar och resultaten kan vara till nytta för såväl entreprenörer i behov av finansiering och politiska beslutsfattare som strävar efter att bibehålla en gynnsam investeringsmiljö. / Over the past decades, the Venture Capital market has undergone several phases of growth and decline. This phenomenon has been acknowledged by previous researchers who have identified external drivers as an underlying factor of volatility, although the results differ. This study examines how external determinants influence the Swedish Venture Capital investments during the period 2007-2021. The aim is to analyze and explain how external determinants drive Venture Capital investments. Regression models were conducted to investigate how IPO, Stock market, GDP, and Interest rate affect both total investments and investments in different stages (seed, startup, and later stages). The results show that IPO is the strongest driver, positively affecting Venture Capital investments in all stages. The impact becomes greater as the company matures, since a potential exit is closer in time. Furthermore, the results indicate that a positive stock market has a negative impact on investments, although significance was only observed in the seed stage. Surprisingly, GDP and interest rate have a non-significant negative impact on Venture Capital investments. It can be concluded from this study that external determinants have been an underlaying cause of the fluctuations in Venture Capital investments. The IPO market has the greatest impact since it is directly related to the investment process. This study is important for understanding the drivers of Venture Capital investment, where the results can be useful for both entrepreneurs in need of financing and policymakers aiming to maintain a favorable investment environment.

Denna kvantitativa studie behandlar svensk exportprestanda och dess förhållande till de makroekonomiska determinanterna valutaväxelkurs, politiska reformer, ekonomisk frihet och BNP-tillväxt. Många tidigare studier inom området fokuserar på hur exportprestandan påverkas av valutaväxelkurser, dock finns begränsat med studier som berör de övriga makroekonomiska determinanterna och dess påverkan på svensk exportprestanda. Denna studie vill därmed utöka detta studieområde med forskningsfrågan “Vilken roll har valutaväxelkursen och andra makroekonomiska determinanter för att förklara svensk exportprestanda?”. Den teoretiska modellen beskriver Sveriges export samt tidigare teorier inom området till de fyra makroekonomiska variablernas relation till svensk exportprestanda. Hypoteser är utformade för att studera om svensk exportprestanda beror på de makroekonomiska determinanterna. Studien använder en deduktiv kvantitativ forskningsmetod med multipel regression som statistisk metod, med användning av sekundärdata. Resultatet visar att hypotesen till valutaväxelkursen kan förkastas. Ett positivt samband finns mellan exportprestanda och politiska reformer samt BNP-tillväxt. Ett negativt samband påvisas mellan exportprestanda och ekonomisk frihet. Samtidigt som studien visar betydelsen av de makroekonomiska variablerna för svensk exportprestanda så finns det fortfarande utrymme för vidare studier inom området, som med användning av andra forskningsmetoder. / This quantitative study examines Swedish export performance and its relationship to the macroeconomic determinants of exchange rates, policy reforms, economic freedom and GDP growth. Many previous studies in the field focus on how export performance is affected by currency exchange rates, but there are limited studies that concern the other macroeconomic determinants and their impact on Swedish export performance. This study therefore aims to expand this area of study with the research question "What is the role of the exchange rate and other macroeconomic determinants in explaining Swedish export performance?". The theoretical model describes Sweden's exports and describes previous theories in the field related to the four macroeconomic variables' relationship to Swedish export performance. Hypotheses are created to study whether Swedish export performance depends on the macroeconomic determinants. The study uses a deductive quantitative research method with multiple regression as the statistical method and use of secondary data. The results show that the hypothesis of the exchange rate can be rejected. A positive relationship is found between export performance and policy reforms and GDP growth. A negative relationship is found between export performance and economic freedom. While the study shows the importance of the macroeconomic variables for Swedish export performance, there is still room for further studies in the area, for instance with use of other research methods.

No description available.

No description available.

Background: The prognostic significance of chest pain is well established in patients with coronary artery disease, but still ill defined in primary prevention. Therefore, the aim of our analysis was to assess the prognostic value of different forms of chest pain in a large cohort of primary care subjects under the conditions of contemporary modalities of care in primary prevention, including measurement of serum levels of the biomarker NT-pro-BNP. Design: We carried out a post-hoc analysis of the prospective DETECT cohort study. Methods: In a total of 5570 unselected subjects, free of coronary artery disease, within the 55,518 participants of the cross-sectional DETECT study, we assessed chest pain history by a comprehensive questionnaire and measured serum NT-pro-BNP levels. Three types of chest pain, which were any chest pain, exertional chest pain and classical angina, were defined. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs = cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization procedures) were assessed during a 5-year follow-up period. Results: During follow-up, 109 subjects experienced a MACE. All types of reported chest pain were associated with an approximately three-fold increased risk for the occurrence of incident MACEs, even after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors. Any form of reported chest pain had a similar predictive value for MACEs as a one-time measurement of NT-pro-BNP. However, adding a single measurement of NT-pro-BNP and the information on chest pain resulted in reclassification of approximately 40% of subjects, when compared with risk prediction based on established cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions: In primary prevention, self-reported chest pain and a single measurement of NT-pro-BNP substantially improve cardiovascular risk prediction and allow for risk reclassification of approximately 40% of the subjects compared with assessing classical cardiovascular risk factors alone.

Titel: Basel III – En studie om baselregelverkets påverkan på den svenska banksektorn   Nivå: D-nivå (30 Högskolepoäng) inom ämnet företagsekonomi   Författare: Nour Reda 891029-xxxx, Johan Laryd 850131-xxxx   Handledare: Per-Olof Bjuggren, Professor inom nationalekonomi; Economics, Finance and Statistics, Internationella Handelshögskolan. Louise Nordström, Doktorand inom nationalekonomi; Economics, Finance and Statistics, Internationella Handelshögskolan.   Datum: Jönköping, Maj 2011   Frågeställningar: (i) Vilka behov finns för att det befintliga regelverket skall kompletteras? (ii) Hur kommer införandet av Basel III ändra kostnadsfördelningen mellan banken och dess kunder? (iii) Kommer införandet av Basel III leda till en stabilare finansiell marknad?   Syfte: Det övergripande syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och undersöka Basel III:s påverkan på den svenska banksektorn.   Metod: Författarna har inom studien använt en kvalitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats som tillvägagångssätt. De intervjufrågor som vi tagit fram har grundats på studiens tre frågeställningar. Respondenterna som intervjuats är personer som är ansvariga eller delaktiga i arbetet mot införandet av Basel III. Det har lämnats stort utrymme för respondenterna att kunna föra sina egna diskussioner för att vidare mynna till väldefinierade resultat.   Resultat Resultatet av denna studie visar att de svenska storbankerna är positivt inställda mot införandet av Basel III och tror att det nya regelverket kommer bidra till en stabilare finansiell marknad. Kritik riktas mot regelverkets nya krav på bankers likviditet, samt det bruttosoliditetskrav som kommer införas. Som en effekt av det nya regelverket kommer bankernas kostnader öka, vilket i sin tur kommer drabba deras kunder negativt, i form av högre räntekostnader. / Title: Basel III – An investigation about the impact of Basel III on the Swedish banking sector   Level: D-level (30 ECTS) Master Degree in Business Administration   Arthur: Nour Reda 891029-xxxx, Johan Laryd 850131-xxxx   Supervisor: Per-Olof Bjuggren, Professor in Economics, Department; Economics, Finance and Statistics, International Business School. Louise Nordstrom, PhD in economics, Department; Economics, Finance and Statistics, International Business School.   Date: Jonkoping, May 2011   Questions: (i) Is there any needs for the existing set of regulations to be complemented? (ii) How will the new set of regulations effect the cost distribution between the Swedish banks and their clients? (iii) Will the effects of Basel III lead to a more stable financial market?   Purpose: The overall goal of this paper is to describe and examine the impact of Basel III on the Swedish banking sector.   Method: The authors have used a qualitative method with a deductive approach for the thesis. The interview questions are founded on the basis of the three question formulations of the thesis. The respondents who were interviewed are persons responsible or somehow involved in work towards the introduction of Basel III. There has been considerable scope for respondents to bring their own discussions in order to achieve well-defined results.   Result: The result of this study shows that the major Swedish banks have a positive attitude towards the implementation of Basel III, and that they believe the new regulation will contribute to a more stable financial market. The new liquidity ratios and the leverage ratio are given criticism from the banks. A direct effect of the new regulation is increased costs for Swedish Banks. Which will affect their customers negatively through a higher cost of capital.

Economic growth in a country can be explained by numerous variables, both positive and negative. Increasing levels of education, investment and openness are examples of factors generally believed to have positive effects on the economic progress, while corruption is one of the factors often regarded as detrimental to economic growth. The purpose of this thesis is to measure and analyze if the levels of perceived corruption in a cross-section of countries have affected their economic growth rates over the years 2004-2008. The study is carried out with four regressions on a sample of 123 countries and eight variables for the time period in question. The models are constructed on the basis of both the neoclassical growth theory and the endogenous growth theory. The found result contradicts the expected outcome; it shows that the perceived levels of corruption are significantly and positively correlated with economic growth. It is however found that countries with widespread corruption, in general developing countries, have experienced high economic growth over these years. A correlation the authors argue can explain the unexpected sign of the corruption variable.

Previous research on quality of life (QOL) and its relation to BNP levels in heart failure (HF) has been widely studied. However, the impact of physicians' knowledge of BNP levels at time of clinic visit on QOL and hospital length of stay (LOS) has yet to be fully investigated. The purpose of this study were to determine if physicians' knowledge of BNP levels affected a change in QOL scores at 90 days and reduce hospital length of stay among heart failure patients. QOL data from HF clinic patients (N = 108, 67.5 ± 12.3, 56% male, ejection fraction 26.5 ± 8.2) were analyzed. QOL was measured at time of clinic visit (T1) and at 90 days (T2) using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). An independent t-test was utilized to compare the two groups. Findings: Both groups were comparable regarding demographic and baseline characteristics. There was no significant association observed between the experimental and control group at 90 days, although the data indicated a decrease in the mean QOL scores at 90 days (37.46 ± 28.67) as compared to the mean QOL scores at baseline (46.87 ± 29.63) for both groups. Because the QOL scale is reversed, this indicated that there was a positive change in QOL scores during the 90 day time interval. Hospital LOS was similar for both groups (mean=3 days). BNP levels were significantly correlated with both baseline QOL scores (r=.25, p=.01) and physical subscale scores (r=.24, p=.01). Mortality was higher in the control when compared to the experimental group (t=1.99, df=90, p=.04). Conclusion: While physicians' awareness of BNP levels had not shown a significant change in QOL at 90 days, patients' QOL might already have been quite positive. Chronic HF patients may have adapted to their disease and have adjusted their perception of their QOL. Therefore, QOL may be a stable construct at this time. Findings may have been different on newly diagnosed HF patients since they may not have adapted to their health condition.

This thesis examines through the means of a comparative perspective, factors which have allowed the British National Party to enjoy recent electoral success at the local level under the leadership of party chairman Nick Griffin. Such electoral successes have arisen despite the seemingly relative obscurity of the party at the turn of the century. A number of different aspects are examined in order to achieve this aim. The history of the far right in the UK is examined to establish whether the BNP have changed their stance in comparison to previous far right movements. The BNP are also investigated comparatively with other West European parties who have enjoyed national success, as a means of discovering whether the party are similar to their far right neighbours and why they have not enjoyed similar national success. The press coverage of the BNP is examined at a local and national level, using content analysis and the LexisNexis database. The thesis looks at the role played by the BNP in local elections and the decline of participation in political activity, to establish if there is a link between these two factors. Finally a case study is taken of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, to establish directly if any of the above factors can be directly applied to BNP electoral success in this district. The research discovers that there are opportunities for the BNP to establish a connection with the electorate in local politics which are not necessarily available at times of general election.