Danish political and administrative elites participate in a continuous opinion formation process. We might say that, to a large extent, politics and power are actually about negotiating opinions. But where do these opinions come from?

This book points out that also foreign actors contribute to and participate actively in Danish opinion formation processes. One such prominent actor is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Most of us are aware that OECD exists and that it has something to do with economics. Beyond that, however, only few can explain OECD’s purpose and how the organization works.

OECD gathers, processes and disseminates knowledge and opinions, which are adopted and sometimes used strategically in the Danish political debate. In other words, OECD successfully exploits the fact that knowledge means legitimacy, that legitimacy means authority, and that authority is an important ingredient in power.

Still, OECD’s influence on the Danish opinion formation process is often ignored or even rejected. This book aims to make up for that by reviewing the different roles that OECD assumes in relation to Danish politicians, government officials and journalists.

The conclusion is that OECD is experiencing an identity crisis, and that this is the perfect time to rethink what Danish government officials need the OECD for in the future.