Leif Pagrotsky

Leif Pagrotsky, born October 20, 1951 in Gothenburg, is a Swedish Social Democratic politician, who had various posts in the government of Göran Persson between 1996 and 2006.

Biography

Pagrotsky has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in economics from Gothenburg University. Before joining the Cabinet, Pagrotsky worked at the Central Bank of Sweden and in the Ministry of Finance.

Pagrotsky lives in Saltsjö-Boo, in Nacka in Stockholm County. He has been very open about his angina pectoris, a condition stemming from insufficient oxygen supply to the heart. He has had heart surgery twice and has shared his experience in order to increase awareness about this condition.^[1]

Pagrotsky is 1.61 meters (5'3'') but says he has never suffered from discrimination because of his height.^[2]

In one episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart aired on April 22, 2009, Pagrotsky is interviewed by reporter Wyatt Cenac on the subject of "Swedish socialism", as part of a satirical story on the impact that socialist reform has had on Swedish society. Pagrotsky is asked to apologize for "ushering in the socialism that tears at the souls of [his] countrymen", which Pagrotsky refuses to, defending the Swedish model by arguing that while Sweden has a big surplus in trade, the United States suffers from a deficit and has to borrow money from Sweden.

Political career

In 1997 Prime Minister Göran Persson made Pagrotsky Minister of Trade and in 2002 Minister for Industry and Trade. He switched posts November 1, 2004 with former Minister of Education Thomas Östros. At the same time, the responsibility for cultural matters, previously belonging to a separate ministry, was added to Pagrotsky’s portfolio.

In May 2010 he became an adviser to George Papandreou's government during the Greek sovereign debt crisis.^[3]

References

1. ^ Pagrotsky on angina
2. ^ http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,771959,00.html
3. ^ "Pagrotsky rådgivare åt Grekland". Dagens Industri. 2010-05-02. http://di.se/Default.aspx?pid=205854__ArticlePageProvider. Retrieved 2010-05-05. 

External links

• Pagrotsky on the Swedish economy, in conversation with Big Think.