As we go to the weekend, here’s another thought piece for you. Reuters discusses Sweden’s rise as a “Silicon Valley of Europe”, focusing on a government initiative around putting a computer in every home. Combined with an early investment in connectivity, the country now has a rich ecosystem of technology startups – and this despite one of the highest tax rates in the world. It has the third highest startup rare in the world, and the highest three year survival for startups.. anywhere at 74%.
This is worth the read for those who consider regulation entirely bad. I’m not advocating Sweden’s tax structure – what I’m observing is that proper deployment of programs can make a huge difference.
It’s easy to slam government. A caricature of incompetence is painted where nothing the government does is right or helpful. That’s overly simplistic, and just not true. An example: Antitrust – unlocks market potential. Look at the explosion in market value in all the antitrust actions – you wouldn’t have Google without Microsoft’s anti-trust woes.
There’s a healthy debate to be had about how to measure those programs and which should be funded… and that’s called politics. And it’s why we care about tracking regulation.
Enjoy the good weekend thought piece.