The Welfare State Myth by Stefan Fölster - ISBN: 9780255368513
Paperback
High taxes, low welfare? The myth of the modern welfare state.

The Welfare State Myth

How Low-Tax Countries Offer the World’s Best Welfare

$55.72

  • Paperback

    122 pages

  • Release Date

    8 January 2026

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Summary

You pay higher taxes and in return the state takes care of you from cradle to grave. This was the promise that brought welfare states into existence across the world in the 20th century. But do high-tax welfare states really offer good value for money?

In this groundbreaking new book, Stefan Fölster and Dr. Nima Sanandaji present a powerful and controversial argument: that ever more tax and spend might not actually lead to higher social welfare. Based on thorough research and data fro…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780255368513
ISBN-10:0255368518
Author:Stefan Fölster, Nima Sanandaji
Publisher:Institute of Economic Affairs
Imprint:Institute of Economic Affairs
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:122
Release Date:8 January 2026
Dimensions:198mm x 129mm
About The Author

Stefan Fölster

Stefan Fölster has been the Chief Economist for the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, affiliate Professor in Economics at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and director of the Reform Institute, a think tank based in Stockholm with a focus on innovative reforms. He has authored many academic articles and books, including Renaissance for Reforms (co-authored with Nima Sanandaji). He is also very active in the wider economic discourse with columns and newspaper articles. Two of his other books, co-authored with Dag Detter, are The Public Wealth of Nations and The Public Wealth of Cities.

Dr Nima Sanandaji is an Iranian–Swedish author of Kurdish descent. He has a background in the natural sciences, carrying out research in biotechnology, structural biochemistry and physical chemistry at the University of Cambridge and the Chalmers University of Technology. He holds two technology PhDs from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in the field of confined space crystallisation, with some of the research carried out at the University of California Santa Barbara. Dr Sanandaji has published 32 books on the history and evolution of capitalism, healthcare, innovation, entrepreneurship, women’s career opportunities, and the future of the Nordic welfare states. He is the president of the think tank ECEPR (European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform).

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