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Lessons from History: On Abba and shareholder capitalism

After coronavirus, will the winners still take it all?
January 21, 2021
  • Swedish politicians once wanted to hand company shares to workers – before Abba stepped in to campaign against the plans
  • More leftwing lawmakers have failed to introduce similar policies in recent years, but after the Covid-19 crisis these ideas could become more mainstream

“Money, money, money / Must be funny, in the rich man’s world.”

If these lyrics are to be believed, Abba must be laughing harder than most. Estimates of the Swedish pop group’s wealth vary, but the artists responsible for hits including “Money, Money, Money” and “The Winner Takes It All” are said to be among the richest of all time.

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