CEPOS
Encyclopedia
The Danish Centre for Political Studies, also known as CEPOS, is an independent research institution recognized under the Danish state, which works as a classical liberal/free-market conservative think-tank in Denmark
.
, Heritage Foundation
, Adam Smith Institute
, Institute of Economic Affairs
etc., CEPOS was founded on March 11, 2004 by a number of high-profile representatives of Danish academia, business, media, and the arts, including former Defence Minister
, Chamberlain, at Her Majesty’s Court, and Master of the Royal Hunt, Bernt Johan Collet
, who became Chairman of the Board.
Other prominent co-founders include former Prime Minister Poul Schlüter
, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Uffe Ellemann-Jensen
, university professors Nicolai Juul Foss, Jesper Lau Hansen, Bent Jensen, and Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard. Also included are well-known journalists Bent Blüdnikow and Samuel Rachlin and cultural personalities such as Bent Fabricius-Bjerre and Michael Laudrup
. Martin Ågerup was hired in 2005 as the think-tank's CEO.
During the summer of 2004, the new Board managed to bring in the necessary grants and contributions from foundations, corporations, and individual sponsors. At a meeting on October 2, 2004, the founders confirmed their decision to establish the think-tank, CEPOS. The official opening of CEPOS took place on March 10, 2005 at Hotel D'Angleterre.
CEPOS is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the foundations of a free and prosperous society by supporting tax-cuts, limited government
, private enterprise as well as vital cultural and political institutions. The research of CEPOS supports a civil society consisting of free and responsible individuals and fosters policies, institutions and culture supportive of free market economy, the rule of law, and a civil society consisting of free and responsible individuals.
CEPOS is dedicated to furthering personal and economic freedom and the rule of law in Denmark, and is recognized by the Danish state as an official research institution, a title only given institutions that produce knowledge of equal quality to that of Danish universities. It is a known advocate of school choice, a more open immigration, lower taxes and less regulation, and a known opponent of increased public surveillance, anti-terrorism laws that curtail civil liberties and criminalizing victimless crime. CEPOS produces both academic research and policy analyses on a wide range of issues, including education, immigration, legal reform, taxation, regulation and the public sector. They host numerous conferences a year and have attracted high-level speakers, including Robert Barro
, George Borjas, Nobel Laureate Edward Prescott, Nobel Laureate Gary Becker
, Sir Nigel Lawson
and many others.
CEPOS has been described as a leading and serious voice in the Danish debate on taxation, regulation, and welfare, as well as schools, education and integration and are frequently quoted in the media, with over 5000 media clips amassed over their 4 years in operation, and was described by the Danish business magazine BNY in 2007 as being "in charge of the public debate"
CEPOS is the Danish participant in The Economic Freedom of the World Project as well as the International Property Rights Index
.http://www.freetheworld.comhttp://www.internationalpropertyrightsindex.org
, University of Southern Denmark
and Copenhagen Business School
all consider CEPOS University a merit-awarding class on level with official academic classes.
and John Templeton Foundation
awards given to the best think tanks around the world, awarded the 2006 Templeton Freedom Award - Honorable Mention, 2007 Templeton Freedom Award Grant, 2007 Templeton Freedom Prize for Initiative in Public Relations, Second Place, 2008 Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for best book published by a think tank and 2009 Fisher Venture Grant Award.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
History
Inspired by institutions such as The Brookings Institution, American Enterprise InstituteAmerican Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
, Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
, Adam Smith Institute
Adam Smith Institute
The Adam Smith Institute, abbreviated to ASI, is a think tank based in the United Kingdom, named after one of the founders of modern economics, Adam Smith. It espouses free market and classical liberal views, in particular by creating radical policy options in the light of public choice theory,...
, Institute of Economic Affairs
Institute of Economic Affairs
The Institute of Economic Affairs , founded in 1955, styles itself the UK's pre-eminent free-market think-tank. Its mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social...
etc., CEPOS was founded on March 11, 2004 by a number of high-profile representatives of Danish academia, business, media, and the arts, including former Defence Minister
Defence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
, Chamberlain, at Her Majesty’s Court, and Master of the Royal Hunt, Bernt Johan Collet
Bernt Johan Collet
Bernt Johan Holger Collet was born on 23 November 1941 as the eldest son of Chamberlain and Master of the Royal Hunt, M. Sc. , Harald Collet and landscape architect Else Collett....
, who became Chairman of the Board.
Other prominent co-founders include former Prime Minister Poul Schlüter
Poul Schlüter
Poul Holmskov Schlüter is a Danish politician, who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993.Born in Tønder, south Jutland, he graduated from the University of Copenhagen in 1957 with a degree in law, and joined the bar in 1960. Schlüter was a member of the Danish Parliament for the...
, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Uffe Ellemann-Jensen
Uffe Ellemann-Jensen
Uffe Ellemann-Jensen was Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark in the Conservative led Poul Schlüter Administration 1982–1993. He was leader of the Danish Liberal Party, Venstre 1984–1998 and President of the European Liberals 1995–2000...
, university professors Nicolai Juul Foss, Jesper Lau Hansen, Bent Jensen, and Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard. Also included are well-known journalists Bent Blüdnikow and Samuel Rachlin and cultural personalities such as Bent Fabricius-Bjerre and Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup is a retired Danish footballer, who works as a manager and last coached La Liga side RCD Mallorca. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of football. His most prominent run of football came with Spanish club Barcelona, with whom he won four straight La...
. Martin Ågerup was hired in 2005 as the think-tank's CEO.
During the summer of 2004, the new Board managed to bring in the necessary grants and contributions from foundations, corporations, and individual sponsors. At a meeting on October 2, 2004, the founders confirmed their decision to establish the think-tank, CEPOS. The official opening of CEPOS took place on March 10, 2005 at Hotel D'Angleterre.
CEPOS is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the foundations of a free and prosperous society by supporting tax-cuts, limited government
Limited government
Limited government is a government which anything more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is generally disallowed by law, usually in a written constitution. It is written in the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 8...
, private enterprise as well as vital cultural and political institutions. The research of CEPOS supports a civil society consisting of free and responsible individuals and fosters policies, institutions and culture supportive of free market economy, the rule of law, and a civil society consisting of free and responsible individuals.
CEPOS is dedicated to furthering personal and economic freedom and the rule of law in Denmark, and is recognized by the Danish state as an official research institution, a title only given institutions that produce knowledge of equal quality to that of Danish universities. It is a known advocate of school choice, a more open immigration, lower taxes and less regulation, and a known opponent of increased public surveillance, anti-terrorism laws that curtail civil liberties and criminalizing victimless crime. CEPOS produces both academic research and policy analyses on a wide range of issues, including education, immigration, legal reform, taxation, regulation and the public sector. They host numerous conferences a year and have attracted high-level speakers, including Robert Barro
Robert Barro
Robert Joseph Barro is an American classical macroeconomist and the Paul M. Warburg Professor of Economics at Harvard University. The Research Papers in Economics project ranked him as the 4th most influential economist in the world as of August 2011 based on his academic contributions...
, George Borjas, Nobel Laureate Edward Prescott, Nobel Laureate Gary Becker
Gary Becker
Gary Stanley Becker is an American economist. He is a professor of economics, sociology at the University of Chicago and a professor at the Booth School of Business. He was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1992, and received the United States' Presidential Medal of Freedom...
, Sir Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, PC , is a British Conservative politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974–92, and served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the government of Margaret Thatcher from June 1983 to October 1989...
and many others.
CEPOS has been described as a leading and serious voice in the Danish debate on taxation, regulation, and welfare, as well as schools, education and integration and are frequently quoted in the media, with over 5000 media clips amassed over their 4 years in operation, and was described by the Danish business magazine BNY in 2007 as being "in charge of the public debate"
CEPOS is the Danish participant in The Economic Freedom of the World Project as well as the International Property Rights Index
International Property Rights Index
The International Property Rights Index is produced annually by Americans for Tax Reform's Property Rights Alliance. The index investigates and ranks the individual's rights and ability to own private property in countries worldwide.-Property rights index:...
.http://www.freetheworld.comhttp://www.internationalpropertyrightsindex.org
CEPOS University
In 2006, CEPOS launched CEPOS University, a free course taught by university professors, industry leaders and former statesmen in the underlying philosophical, sociological and economic ideas behind classical liberalism, and the various theories behind the free market. Admission is highly competitive. The University of CopenhagenUniversity of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, University of Southern Denmark
University of Southern Denmark
The University of Southern Denmark, with campuses located in the southwestern part of Denmark - i.e. Funen, Southern Jutland and Sealand - is a research and educational institution with deep regional roots and an international outlook. Reaching even further south, the university offers a number of...
and Copenhagen Business School
Copenhagen Business School
Copenhagen Business School, also known as CBS, is situated in Copenhagen, Denmark. With more than 17,000 students and 1,300 staff members, CBS is also one of the largest business schools in Europe. CBS offers a wide range of business-oriented university programmes and a research environment...
all consider CEPOS University a merit-awarding class on level with official academic classes.
Awards
CEPOS is a five-time awardwinner of the highly prestigious Atlas Economic Research FoundationAtlas Economic Research Foundation
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation, also known as the Atlas Network, is a non-profit organization based in the United States which organizes and convenes workshops, offers training, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal...
and John Templeton Foundation
John Templeton Foundation
"The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organizationthat funds inter-disciplinary research about human purpose and ultimate reality. It is usually referred to simply as the Templeton Foundation...
awards given to the best think tanks around the world, awarded the 2006 Templeton Freedom Award - Honorable Mention, 2007 Templeton Freedom Award Grant, 2007 Templeton Freedom Prize for Initiative in Public Relations, Second Place, 2008 Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for best book published by a think tank and 2009 Fisher Venture Grant Award.