02/04/2007 4:05:57 pm
Why A Majority of Swedes Rejected the Euro in 2003. In the 2003 referendum in Sweden about joining the euro or not, a clear majority voted no. Why people voted they way they did may say quite a lot about their values, views of reality, self-image and attitudes to a number of things. Various studies provide new pieces to the puzzle all the time. The most recent analysis, by economists Lars Jonung and Jonas Vlachos, has been presented. They use a specific method of analysis, called OCA.

They conclude, among other things, that voters in export-dependent parts of the country paradoxically voted no. Still, it is rational too, since they would have gained following a positive export effect, but would also be the biggest losers should there be an asymmetric crisis. They also show that people employed in the private sector votes yes and in the public sector no. Of course, also general attitudes to the EU had a role.

Read the entire study here - >