The Laghum Economy is an entrepreneur s proposal for a liveable planet a call to rethink the rules of the market without abandoning faith in it.
With clarity and hope, this book unpacks the complexity of the sustainability challenge and offers a practical path forward. At the heart is the idea of a Laghum economy – a new form of mixed economy where the free market remains the engine of prosperity, while the state ensures that the rules of the game are sustainable by setting the right incentives. That way, innovation and growth can unfold within planetary boundaries.
The idea of putting a price on nature is not new. What is new is the urgency and the scale required, and the way Stefan Krook demonstrates how it could be implemented.
Stefan Krook is a serial entrepreneur and impact investor from Sweden. He is co-founder of Kivra, a leading Nordic digital mailbox and payments platform, and co-founder of the GoodCause companies, bringing sustainability into the core of its business models. During his work with The Laghum Economy, Krook was appointed Practitioner in Residence at the Stockholm School of Economics.
About the
“Laghum Economy and the growing community around it holds a seed to a prosperous future.” Lisen Schultz, Deputy Director of Stockholm Resilience Centre
“This book sparks the thought and calls for action.” Lars Strannegård, President Stockholm School of Economics
“We must update the rules of the game if we are to stay within planetary boundaries.” Karl-Johan Persson, Chairman H&M Group
“Laghum Economy by Stefan Krook is the most visionary and inspiring, yet deeply pragmatic path I’ve seen to upgrade our economic system to benefit people and planet.” Sara Kappelmark, co-CEO, Norrsken Foundation
“Today’s sustainability efforts are failing to deliver. Laghum Economy provides a clear and pedagogical blueprint for a shift.” Michael Treschow, former Chairman of Unilever, Ericsson, Electrolux and Svenskt Näringsliv
“Laghum Economy gives markets a moral compass.” Dr Gunhild A. Stordalen, co-founder & Executive Chair, EAT Foundation
“A dose of his entrepreneurial fearlessness and ‘how hard can it be?’ spirit is exactly what today’s policy debate needs.” Caroline Berg, CEO Axel Johnson
A short, clear book that does one thing well: it makes a familiar idea easy to follow for people who'd never read an economics paper. Lower the tax on labour, raise it on what damages the planet. I already agreed with that going in. Krook doesn't claim it's new, and the value of the book lies not only in its clarity but also in the credible messenger making a clean case, not as a theorist.
Four stars because it stops where the difficulty starts. The premise is the easy part; the hard part is getting it done. Has this been tried before? Who actually fights this, and what's their best argument? Why couldn't Sweden just pilot it without waiting for perfect measurement? A few pages on opposition would have made it harder to argue with and take further.
Interesting perspective. The arguments are not just potential solutions for protecting the environment and natural resources, but also an alternative to unfair taxation systems and to the irrational competition for attracting industries at any cost.
Inget fel på idén, men boken var inte särskilt inspirerande. Tråkigt skriven och hade kunnat vara ännu kortare. Men jag hoppas idén får spridning där makten finns.