This book offers a comprehensive exploration of Gunnar Myrdal's life, as well as his significant scientific, political and international contributions. Recognized as one of the foremost Stockholm economists, Myrdal, alongside Keynes, played a pivotal role in revolutionizing economic theory during the 1930s. Together with his wife, Alva Myrdal, he was instrumental in shaping the Swedish welfare state. Gunnar Myrdal was far ahead of his time in demonstrating that both a strong state and a vibrant civil society are essential for developing an inclusive welfare state. Myrdal's influence extended well beyond Sweden. His groundbreaking analysis of racial oppression in the United States, particularly in his seminal work An American Dilemma, is widely regarded as a landmark in the struggle for equal rights. During the Cold War, he played a key role in the United Nations' efforts to rebuild Europe and sought to bridge the divide between East and West. His penetrating examination of the causes o