Centre for Political Studies

CEPOS is the Danish Centre for Political Studies - a Danish think tank founded in 2004 with the stated aim of 'promoting a society based on freedom, responsibility, private initiative and limited government'. The 'independent research institution' was founded by 'Danish academic, arts, business and media representatives, thinkers and cultural personalities'.

According to their website, CEPOS seek to influence government policy by:

• generating new knowledge about social organization through analysis and research.
• developing solutions and practical policy proposals.
• influencing present and future decision makers through media, meetings, conferences, publications and education.

Cepos is part of the Stockholm Network a working group of European market-oriented think-tanks. According to the Atlas Network:

CEPOS has been instrumental in bringing a taxation debate to Denmark, working tirelessly for lower taxes. In addition to taxation, CEPOS focuses on other policy issues that work to limit the size and scope of the Danish government.

Ideology and aims

CEPOS started its work on March 10th 2005 as a classical liberal-conservative think-tank in Denmark. According to their website CEPOS promotes 'a society based on economic freedom, wishing to reform and limit direct and indirect economic support from the public authorities to the population'. CEPOS has three main aims stated on their website, these are:

• to contribute to more personal and economic freedom, rule of law and democracy as well as a limited government sustained by healthy civil institutions such as family, civil associations and cultural life.

• to reform and limit direct and indirect economic support from the public authorities to the population. Government support shall benefit only the disadvantaged and will be abolished for people who can support themselves.

• to encourage competition, supports free markets and global free trade, and opposes government subsidies to businesses.

Cepos also assert their independence by arguing that they 'do not work at the request of any political party, public authority, commercial enterprise, organization or individual'.

Funding and wind power controversy

A CEPOS report criticising Denmark's investment in wind farms was funded by the Institute for Energy Research (IER) a group with close links to Koch Industries, the IER president Thomas Pyle is a former Koch lobbyist.

The report argued that 'more than half of Denmark's wind power is exported, wasting taxpayer money without reducing overall CO2 emissions' it was released right before the Copenhagen climate change conference in 2009 and it 'made waves in the U.S. media'. The report was disseminated it in the United States under the title 'Something Rotten? Obama Says Danes Receive 20% of Their Power Via Wind; New Study Tells the Real Story.'

CEPOS were criticised by academics at Aalborg university because their research 'incorrectly interprets statistics and doesn't understand how the international electricity markets operate'. Professor Frede Hvelplund argued that:

We've been studying renewable energy for two decades here at the university. When we saw something that was obviously incorrect, we had to react.

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Martin Agerup, after strong critique, admitted that the report was commissioned and paid for by Institute for Energy Research (IER) but argued that he was not aware of IER receiving funding from the coal and oil industry. Agerup admitted, however, that he and report author, Hugh Sharman, were made aware of the relationship between IER and the American coal and oil industries. Agerup emphasized that IER financing the wind energy report agreed for fully independent conclusion and the assessments made by CEPOS.

CEPOS University and educational work

In 2006 Cepos launched the Cepos University an institution 'which educates university students about free market ideas'. According to the Atlas Network, Cepos planned to create 'a network of liberal minded supporters in Denmark, offering education to policy makers on free markets and extending their education to high school students'.

Publications

Cepos publishes research on a wide range of social and economic issues, a sample of these can be found on the page Cepos publications.

Awards

CEPOS is a five-time winner of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation and John Templeton Foundation awards given to the best think tanks around the world. CEPOS was awarded in the 2006 Templeton Freedom Award - Honourable Mention, following by 2007 Templeton Freedom Award Grant. In addition, CEPOS won 2007 Templeton Freedom Prize for Initiative in Public Relations, Second Place and in 2008 Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for best book published by a think tank. Moreover, CEPOS was recently awarded in the 2009 Fisher Venture Grant Award.

CEPOS Freedom Award

CEPOS recently instituted an annual freedom award. In 2010, the prize, along with DKK 300,000 will be awarded to the Cuban dissident, Yoani Sánchez who criticises the Cuban government through her blog ’Generación Y’.

People

Employees

Angela Brink | Henrik Christofferson | Mads Lundby Hansen | Henrik Gade Jensen | Jacob Mchangama | Martin Agerup

Founders

Poul Schlüter | , Uffe Ellemann-Jensen | Bent Blüdnikow | Nicolai Juul Foss | Jesper Lau Hansen | Bent Fabricius-Bjerre | Bernt Johan Collet Christopher Arzrouni, Special advisor | Rolf Bagger, Author | Annelise Bidstrup, Editor | Sven Blomberg, Chief Executive Officer | Bent Blüdnikow, Editor and Historian | Jesper Bruun Rasmussen, Auctioneer | Bernt Johan Collet, former Minister for Defence | Peter la Cour, Publisher | Anne-Sofie Dahl, Associate Professor, Ph.D. | Jan Duckert, Chief Executive Officer | Kasper Elbjørn, PR and Project Manager | Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, former Minister for Foreign Affairs | Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, Composer | Herman Federspiel, Attorney | Henning Fonsmark, Author | Nicolai Juul Foss, Professor, Ph.D. | Nils Foss, Chief Executive Officer | Nikolaj Gammeltoft, Head of Section | David Gress, Associate Professor, Ph.D. | Morten Grunwald, Actor, Theatre Manager | Peter Gæmelke, President of the Danish Agricultural Council | Jesper Lau Hansen, Professor, LL.D. | Claes Kastholm Hansen, Author | Morten Hesseldahl, Publisher | Kjeld Hillingsø, Lt. General | Ulrik Høy, Author | Bent Jensen, Professor, Ph.D. | Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard, Associate Professor, Ph.D. | Steen Langebæk, Chief Executive Officer | Henrik Lando, Professor, Ph.D. | Michael Laudrup, Football Player and Coach | Henrik Bach Mortensen, Director of the Confederation of Danish Employers (DA) | Karoly Nemeth, Attorney

Board of Directors

Christian Bjørnskov, Associate Professor Ph.D. | Jørgen Mads Clausen, Chief Executive Officer | Bernt Johan Collet (Chairman), Chief Executive Officer former Minister for Defence | Jan Duckert, Chief Executive Officer | Helene Haabegaard, Student | Bjørn Høi Jensen, MA and Senior Advisor for EQT - private equity foundation | Jesper Lau Hansen (Vice Chairman), Professor Doctor of Laws

Centre Council

CEPOS highest authority is the Centre Council. The Council is composed of top executives from the business community, scholars in social science, opinion formers and other intellectuals with whom the Board of Directors consider it important to be in close contact.

Finn Poulsen, Managing Director | Samuel Rachlin, Editor, MA. | Jens Ringsmose, Research fellow, MA | Sven Hakon Rossel, Professor | Rethe Rostbøll, Former Minister, MA | Annette Sadolin, Managing Director, BLL | Louise Ry, Managing Director | Jonny Trapp Steffensen, Ph.d., assistant professor | nud Sørensen, Former bank manager | Ditlev Tamm, Professor, Doctor of Laws and Philosophy | Edith Thingstrup, Rector, BD | Søren Toft, Chief Consultant, MA in Political Science | Mikael Thoustrup, Student of Commerce | Peter Vesterdorf, Office manager, Ph.D Law | Thomas Voss, Managing Director | Henrik Wedell-Wedellsborg, Lawyer, partner | Anders Wivel, Senior lecturer, Ph.D. | Jarne Nielsen, Management Advisor | Flemming Steen Nielsen, Associate professor, Doctor of Philosophy | Mikael Bonde Nielsen, Chief of Communication, MA in Political Science | Henning Kruse Petersen, Managing Director, LLD | Jesper Lau Hansen, Professor, LLD | Christian Herskind, Managing Director, LLD | Lars Hvidberg, Writer

Advisory Board

Robert C. Waggoner, Professor of Economics, Harvard University (USA) | Carl Bildt, Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Prime Minister, MP and EU & UN Representative (Sweden) | James M. Buchanan, Jr., Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics, Center for Study of Public Choice | Victoria Curzon-Price, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, l’Université de Genève, President, Mont Pélerin Society | Richard A. Epstein, James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School (USA) | Nicolai Juul Foss, Ph.D., Professor Copenhagen Business School, Professor Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) | Bruno S. Frey, Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult., Professor of Economics, University of Zurich (Switzerland) | Palle Marcus, Board Chairman, former Chief Executive Officer (Denmark) | Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard, Ph.D., Cand.Phil. M.A., Professor of Political Science, University of Copenhagen | Veronique de Rugy, Ph.D., Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (USA) | George Shultz, Former Secretary of State, Professor of Economics & Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University (USA) | Roger Scruton, Professor, University of Buckingham, Author, Philosopher (UK) | Niels C. Thygesen, Doctor of Political Science, Professor of International Economics, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

Affiliations

Stockholm Network | Fraser Institute | Economic Freedom Network | Atlas Economic Research Foundation | Institute for Energy Research (IER) | John Templeton Foundation

Contact Information

Address:Landgreven 3, 3. sal

DK-1301 København K

/DK-1301 Copenhagen

Pho.: +45 33 45 60 30

Fax: +45 33 45 60 45

info@cepos.dk