Unleashing Society’s Innovative Capacity

Pontus Braunerhjelm has held leading positions at the Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN, Stockholm, Sweden), the Center for Business and Policy Studies (SNS), KTH (Sweden), and the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum (as managing director from 2008 to 2015). His research focuses on the intersection between innovation, entrepreneurship, industrial dynamics, and growth. He has approximately 350 publications, of which 150 are published in peer-reviewed international journals and books. Pontus has also been involved in several policy-oriented projects for the Swedish government. Between 2007 and 2009, he served as the General Secretary of the Swedish Globalization Council. From 2014 to 2016, he was the Chairman of the governmental committee on Swedish entrepreneurship policies, initiated by the Finance Minister of Sweden.Magnus Henrekson is a professor of Economics and a senior research fellow at the Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) in Stockholm,Sweden. He was the president of IFN from 2005 until 2020. Until 2009, he held the Jacob Wallenberg Research Chair in the Department of Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics. Since the late 1990s, his primary research focus has been entrepreneurship economics and the institutional determinants of the business climate. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, international collective volumes, more than 25 books, 14 edited volumes, and several essays commissioned by the Swedish government.

“In Unleashing Society’s Innovative Capacity: An Integrated Policy Framework, Pontus Braunerhjelm and Magnus Henrekson present a bold and comprehensive vision for fostering innovation-led economic growth. ... Through a blend of theoretical insights, empirical evidence, and policy prescriptions, the book offers a roadmap for addressing contemporary economic challenges. … this book outlines how societies can continuously learn, adapt, and thrive. In an era of rapid change and mounting challenges, its insights are both timely and transformative.” (Miriam Bird, Administrative Science Quarterly, May 9, 2025)

• 1. The Challenge.- 2. Theories of Growth, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.- 3. Promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation—The Institutional Framework.- 4. Policies to Stimulate Innovation and Entrepreneurship.- 5. Tax Policy to Stimulate Innovation and Entrepreneurship.- 6. Conclusions: A Framework for Innovation Policy.