When it comes to the 70ies and 80ies I think the standard explanation overlooks factors like oil dependence, RoW catching up (Sweden did not have its industrial base destroyed in wwII) and demographics - Sweden avoiding wwII meant  more people born in 10's and 20ies working in the 50ies and 60ies and retiring in the 70ies and 80ies. I also object to stagnation causing the property bubble of the late 80ies, I see that as caused by the deregulation of 1985:

Novemberrevolutionen (Sverige) - Wikipedia

Novemberrevolutionen är det informella namnet på Riksbankens beslut att avreglera den svenska kreditmarknaden den 21 november 1985.^[1] Beslutet innebar bland annat att bankerna fick låna ut obegränsat med pengar utan att Sveriges riksbank lade hinder i vägen.

Nationalekonomen Lars Jonung har skrivit om novemberrevolutionen: "Detta är den s.k novemberrevolutionen som markerar den mest genomgripande omläggningen av Riksbankens penningpolitiska strategi under hela efterkrigstiden.".^[2]

But we are getting into a very broad topic and of the imho interesting topic in relation to the ongoing euro crisis - did Persson need to borrow abroad and if so why?

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