Does Sweden need a crisis to avoid going the way of Nokia?

In 2007, Nokia's mobile phones had a world market share of 38.3%. That year, the company sold nearly half a billion cell phones. In Q1 2013 they had 14% and a quarter later the mobile division was sold for a pittance.

With this in mind, it is worth reflecting on the state of both the Swedish and the global economy. Essentially, growth is being driven in "new" markets and with the help of digital solutions, which streamline and offer scalability. For established companies as well as countries, this is turning the conditions for establishing themselves, competing, growing and driving growth upside down.

In this respect, Sweden is more Nokia than a fast-moving digital services company. We have some of the world's most advanced and innovative companies, but essentially the same view of business conditions as a decade ago. Can the same be said of China?

Sure, there are cuts here and there. Job tax credits are being introduced and the public sector is being opened up to private companies. But there is no sense of urgency. And no perceived need for economic reforms in any real sense.

It is interesting to compare with our competitor countries. What is happening there? The UK is perhaps the best example. It's fairly similar to Sweden, but the economic crisis has hit them hard.

Today, at the Chamber of Commerce's seminar on European competitiveness , I had the opportunity to ask their Minister for Enterprise, Vince Clarke, whether the crisis itself has brought something positive, whether it has helped create room for reform and sharpen their competitiveness.

He was clear that the crisis has created several important conditions for long-term economic reform. It has united the country and increased collaboration across industry boundaries, between academia, the public sector and business. Investments are being made in IT-related R&D, large amounts of public data are being made available, extensive deregulation is being carried out, the intellectual property system is being reformed and, not least, the government is investing heavily in strengthening the digital skills of the British in the labor market and in academia.

The UK even has a Chancellor of the Exchequer who can program, introduced the world's most comprehensive tax credit for start-ups, and speaks highly of Jimmy Wales as an entrepreneurial role model. That's different from a fifth jobs tax credit.

It may be that the Swedish economy is looking pretty good at the moment. But so did Nokia until the iPhone was launched six years ago.