Forum for Reforms, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability (FORES)

The green and liberal research institute

An independent research foundation dedicated to furthering entrepreneurship and sustainable development through liberal solutions to societal challenges brought on by accelerated globalisation and global warming.

FORES’ main activities is to initiate research projects and public debates that will result in concrete reform proposals in relevant policy areas such as:

• Market solutions to environmental issues
• Harnessing the positive potential of immigration
• The role of civil society in entrepreneurship
• The flexibility of labour markets
• The protection of the civil rights of the individual
• Modernising public services

In so doing FORES relies heavily on a vast network of academics, supported and coordinated by a small core of research managers and communication officers. Papers and books from the Institute are subjected to peer review processes. Researchers and reviewers are drawn from universities and colleges across Sweden, and some abroad. Studies are empirically oriented in order to be as policy relevant as possible.

The Institute makes full use of new media, with its webpage being the focal point for its communication and dissemination of research findings and public debates. FORES strives to be an interactive forum for all those interested in its activities.

To ensure the independence of the Institute it has been constituted as a foundation with a board of directors composed of academics, experienced former politicians, businesspeople and opinion leaders. The founders of FORES are the Swedish Centre Party, the Bertil Ohlin Institute and Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan.

The FORES board consists of experienced people from different professional and political background. The composition of the board guarantees a strong independence from special interests and partisan politics.

• Michael Arthursson (chairman) is an entrepreneur and public policy advisor to numerous municipalities in Sweden.
• Berit Danielsson is the chairman of the board of directors of Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan. Berit has previously served at the Cabinet Office and the Parliament.
• Dilsa Demirbag-Sten is a liberal columnist in the Swedish daily Expressen and has authored and co-authored several books and publications.
• Eva Fernvall is the director of brands at Apoteket AB (the Swedish Pharmacy) and has previously chaired The Swedish Association of Health Professionals for more than ten years.
• Ulrika Liljeberg is a lawyer and economist now serving as an attorney at the regional public prosecution office in Falun.
• Hans Tson Söderström is a senior advisor and professor of macroeconomics at the Stockholm School of Economics. He was the director of the Swedish Centre for Business and Policy Studies 1985-2002.
• Peter Örn is a special advisor at the Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality. He has previously served as Executive Director of the Swedish State Radio and as Secretary General of the Swedish Red Cross.

The Scientific Advisory Board includes a number of respected academics, many of whom have a distinguished international record, notably:

• Professor Erik Berglöf, Chief Economist at the European Bank (EBRD).
• Professor Magnus Henrekson, Head of IFN Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
• Professor Pontus Braunerhjelm, Head of the Swedish Globalisation Council and professor at the Royal Institute of Technology
• Professor Carin Holmquist, Stockholm School of Economics, specialised in entrepreneurship.
• Professor Håkan Ylinenpää, Luleå Technological University, specialised in entrepreneurial economics.
• Professor Karl-Göran Mäler, founder of the Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics.
• Professor Daniel Tarschys, Department of Political Science, Stockholm University.
• Dr. Therese Lindahl, researcher at the Beijer Institute.
• Dr. Mia Lindskog, researcher at Stanford and Karolinska Institute in neuroscience.
• Klas Eklund, Senior Economist at SEB, former Chief Economist.
• Charlotte Holgersson, gender researcher at the Stockholm School of Economics and the Royal Institute for Technology.
• Jerker Söderlind, architect and urban planning researcher, the Royal Institute for Technology.
• Professor Emil Uddhammar, political science, Växjö University.
• Professor Gunilla Öberg, Head of Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at University of British Columbia
• Daniel Barr, Chief Economist, PPM.
• Professor Hans-Albin Larsson, history, Kristianstad University College.

The director of the Institute is Martin Ådahl, previously founder and editor-in-chief of the Fokus weekly news magazine and former senior economist at the Swedish Central Bank monetary policy department.