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When, how and why did the expectation of exponential economic growth emerge historically? This article explores this question through a transnational historical analysis of economic and policy-making expertise within the debates of the industrialized countries' think tank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and its predecessor, the OEEC. It focuses in particular on the setting of growth targets in the years 1952, 1961, and 1970. These targets not only illustrate the escalatory logic of exponential growth but also highlight the changing concepts, justifications, and implications that mark the (re-) making of the economic growth paradigm at key junctures in postwar history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a conference on public finances in the developed world since the 1970s, held in Cologne, Germany, from June 13-15, 2013. Topics of discussion included tax policy in Great Britain, West Germany, and the United States, welfare state reforms, and the advent of neoliberalism as the primary economic theory through which the role of the state within the economy was viewed.

The article presents an overview of the so-called "Varieties of Capitalism" (VoC) theory of comparative political economy. The author seeks to situate this school of thought within the broader context of the historiography of capitalism. Among other subjects, he considers the original concept of comparative studies of capitalism developed by economists Peter Hall and David Soskice in 2001, the critique of the model as too focused on the developed world, and the complementary concept of a hierarchical market economy proposed by economist Ben Ross Schneider with a view on Latin America.

This article discusses the economic conditions in Sweden, including unemployment, inflation, and exports. It is noted that the gross national product decreased by 4 percent. The author compares the economic conditions in Sweden to those of other developed countries and discusses the international economy and market in general. Additional topics discussed include labor unions, the education system, and wages.