Lars Magnusson on the History of Economic Thought in Sweden

In 2022, Swedish historian of economic thought Lars Magnusson published a major book (in Swedish) about Swedish economic thought, from the late Middle Ages to the mid 19th century. The title (in English): From Medieval Provincial Law to State Liberalism: Economic Thought in Sweden. One theme is that proto-liberal thinking, often mixed in varying degrees with so-called mercantilist tendencies, marks Swedish thinkers both before and contemporary with Adam Smith. Another theme is the more thorough classical-liberal challenge to mercantilism from Anders Chydenius in the second half of the eighteenth century. Also, Magnusson limns a ‘pragmatic’ liberal vein in Swedish economic thought in the 19th century. EJW published a a review essay by Max Skjönsberg, who interviews Magnusson here.