Internationaliseringen af den offentlige forvaltning i Danmark - forandring og kontinuitet
(Internationalization of the Danish public administration – change and continuity)

Internationalization of the Danish public administration – change and continuity edited by Martin Marcussen og Karsten Ronit was published in January 2003.

Aarhus University Press
270 pages
DKK 248.00
To order, contact a bookshop or www.unipress.dk or + 45 89 42 53 70

It is a common perception that the internationalization of Danish society has picked up speed in recent years. Another common perception is that the increasing internationalization is accompanied by political and administrative reforms that obliterate specific Danish administrative traditions and qualities. Some view this trend with considerable suspicion and claim that internal democratic decision making processes are being eroded by external factors. Others are more optimistic and see the development as expanding political maneuverability.

But what is the substance of internationalization? What are its practical effects? What are its consequences for the Danish public administration? These main questions are discussed by a group of Danish social scientists.

One conclusion is that internationalization – despite the present extra attention from politicians – is not a new phenomenon. In fact, the book identifies administrative dimensions that were more internationalized several hundred years ago than they are today.

Another conclusion is that internationalization manifests itself in countless ways in different administrative sectors. Chapters on agriculture, energy, labor market and welfare administration show that typical Danish traditions are quite robust in the face of internationalization. To help us understand these patterns of internationalization, the book offers various hypotheses on reluctance and willingness to change in the Danish public administration.

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