Public Governance in Denmark

Andreas Hagedorn Krogh is Assistant Professor in Public Governance and Organisation at the Institute for Leadership and Organisation, Royal Danish Defence College, Denmark.Annika Agger is Associate Professor in Public Administration at the Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University, Denmark.Peter Triantafillou is Professor in Public Policy and Performance Management at the Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University, Denmark.

Denmark has become a fabled—some might say infamous--benchmark for effective democratic governance. This book takes us deep inside the Danish system of governing and shows how it is responding to twenty-first century “mega-challenges.” We learn why the Danish model of governance has managed to produce enviable social equality, problem-solving and citizen trust even as it must confront serious challenges from rising inequality, climate change, and immigration. The balanced chapters acknowledge the warts of the Danish model, while demolishing any claim that positive government and citizen freedom are antagonistic agendas. A contemporary Shakespeare might say that there is something worth emulating in the state of Denmark.

• Foreword; Robert Strand Chapter 1. Why Look North? Scrutinizing the Danish Way of Governing Societal Challenges; Peter Triantafillou, Andreas Hagedorn Krogh, and Annika Agger Section I Economic and social equality Chapter 2. Redistribution, Inequality and Nordic Welfare States: Challenges in the Global World; Bent Greve and Daniel Béland Chapter 3. Reforming the Ideal(Ised) Model(S) of Danish Labour Market Policies; Magnus Paulsen Hansen and Janine Leschke Chapter 4. Innovating Democratic Participation in Social Housing; Elizabeth Toft Kristjansen and Jesper Ole Jensen Section II Democracy and participation Chapter 5. Successive Minority Governments – Yet Cooperation and Policy Reform; Flemming Juul Christiansen and Peter Heyn Nielsen Chapter 6. Towards Hybrid Democracy and Interactive Political Leadership; Eva Sørensen and Jodi R. Sandfort Section III Public sector effectiveness and efficiency Chapter 7. The Danish Control‒Trust Balance in Public Governance; Jacob Torfing and Tina Øllgaard Bentzen Chapter 8. Digitalising Denmark: Efficiency Vs Privacy; Peter Aagaard and John Storm Pedersen Section IV Climate change and biodiversity Chapter 9. Climate Politics and Renewable Energy in Denmark 1975‒2020; Karsten Bruun Hansen and Peter Enevoldsen Chapter 10. Resilience and Adaptability Capacity in the Danish Agriculture and Food System: Continuity and Change; Sevasti Chatzopoulou and Kostas Karantininis Section V Demographic changes and immigration Chapter 11. One of the Best Pension Systems in the World?; Fritz Von Nordheim and Jon Kvist Chapter 12. Ensuring Public Healthcare and Tackling Growing Expenditures; Erik Bækkeskov and Peter Triantafillou Chapter 13. From Homogeneity to Diversity: Societal and Political Responses to Immigration; Carina Saxlund Bischoff and Anders Ejrnæs Chapter 14. Public Governance in Denmark – Current Developments and Ways Ahead; Andreas Hagedorn Krogh, Annika Agger, and Peter Triantafillou