Torsten Waldemar Gårdlund (23 February 1911 – 21 February 2003) was a Swedish economist, economic historian, essayist and biographical writer. In economic history, he published several significant monographs, but also several works on individual Swedish industries. He was also active as a developing country advisor and wrote three books on development issues. Gårdlund was a professor at the
Stockholm School of Economics
The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; sv, Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with ...
from 1947 to 1963, and professor of international economics at
Lund University
, motto = Ad utrumque
, mottoeng = Prepared for both
, established =
, type = Public research university
, budget = SEK 9 billion
Early life
Gårdlund was born in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Sweden, the son of MD Waldemar Gårdlund and his wife Gertrud (née Olsson). Gårdlund studied at the
Stockholm School of Economics
The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; sv, Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with ...
and
Stockholm University College
Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, soci ...
for teachers such as
Bertil Ohlin
Bertil Gotthard Ohlin () (23 April 1899 – 3 August 1979) was a Swedish economist and politician. He was a professor of economics at the Stockholm School of Economics from 1929 to 1965. He was also leader of the People's Party, a social-liberal ...
, Sven Brisman and Alf Johansson, and came into contact with
Gunnar Myrdal
Karl Gunnar Myrdal ( ; ; 6 December 1898 – 17 May 1987) was a Swedish economist and sociologist. In 1974, he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences along with Friedrich Hayek for "their pioneering work in the theory of money a ...
and
Herbert Tingsten
Herbert Lars Gustaf Tingsten (17 March 1896 – 26 December 1973) was a Swedish political scientist, writer and newspaper publisher. An influential figure in Swedish political science, he was a professor of political science at Stockholm Unive ...
, but the one who strongly influenced him was
Eli Heckscher
Eli Filip Heckscher (24 November 1879 – 23 December 1952) was a Swedish political economist and economic historian.
Biography
Heckscher was born in Stockholm, son of the Jewish Danish-born businessman Isidor Heckscher and his spouse Rosa Meyer, ...
. He graduated from the Stockholm School of Economics in 1932 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1934. Sociology studies at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
from 1934 to 1935 was also important for his view of society. During the 1930s and 1940s he was drawn into Stockholm's intellectual and political life. It was then that the specific Swedish social model began to take shape and the " Stockholm School" was recognized internationally.
Career
Gårdlund worked as secretary in the Population Commission (''Befolkningskommissionen'') in 1936 and worked as a teaching assistant in economics at the Stockholm University College from 1937 to 1939 when he received a Licentiate of Philosophy degree. He was an editor in the Social-Democratic magazine ''Tiden'' from 1939 to 1944 and an expert in the National Labor Market Commission (''Statens arbetsmarknadskommission'') from 1940 to 1941. In 1942, Gårdlund received a Doctor of Philosophy degree and worked as a
Docent
The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...
at Stockholm University College. He was a professor of economics at Stockholm School of Economics from 1947 to 1963. Gårdlund was financial advisor in the Swedish Savings Bank Association (''Svenska sparbanksföreningen'') from 1947 to 1959 and an employee in financial matters in the Swedish newspaper ''
Svenska Dagbladet
''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden.
History and profile
The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the ...
'' from 1949 to 1996. He was an economic expert of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
technical assistance activities in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
from 1958 to 1959. He was then head of United Nations technical assistance activities in
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
from 1960 to 1961 as well as financial adviser to the
Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance.
Lists of current ministries of finance
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Finance and Eco ...
there (on behalf of the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
) from 1963 to 1964. Gårdlund was professor of
international economics
International economics is concerned with the effects upon economic activity from international differences in productive resources and consumer preferences and the international institutions that affect them. It seeks to explain the patterns and ...
at
Lund University
, motto = Ad utrumque
, mottoeng = Prepared for both
, established =
, type = Public research university
, budget = SEK 9 billion
Personal life
In 1939 he married Ingrid Schmidt (born 1916), the daughter of August Schmidt and Elisabeth Eriksson. They divorced and in 1947 he married Ingrid Österling (born 1917), the daughter of A. Österling and Greta Sjöberg. They also divorced and in 1957 he married
Anne-Margrethe Björlin
Anne-Margrethe Björlin (1921–2006) was a Swedish film actress. She played several female leads during the 1940s, and also appeared in supporting roles. After making her last film in 1953 she became a fashion consultant. She was married to the ...
(born 1921), the daughter of Olof Björlin and Elsa Rosén. Gårdlund was married a fourth time, to Susanna.