CEPOS

CEPOS
Name	CEPOS
Formation	2004
Type	Think tank
Headquarters	Copenhagen, Denmark
Region	Denmark
Leader title	President
Leader name	Lars Seier Christensen

CEPOS CEPOS is a Danish public policy think tank founded in 2004 that promotes classical liberal and free-market perspectives through research, commentary, and advocacy. It engages with policymakers, media, and academic institutions across Denmark and the wider European context, participating in debates involving taxation, welfare, regulation, and individual liberty. CEPOS interacts with a wide array of political actors, business leaders, and international organizations.

Overview

CEPOS operates in Copenhagen and engages with figures and institutions such as Margrethe II of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, European Commission, Nordic Council, OECD, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. It publishes commentary referenced by media outlets like DR (broadcaster), TV 2 (Denmark), The Economist, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg News. CEPOS collaborates with think tanks including Adam Smith Institute, Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, Ludwig von Mises Institute, Institute of Economic Affairs, and Atlantic Council.

History and Development

Founded in 2004, CEPOS emerged amid debates involving Danish parties such as Venstre (Denmark), Conservative People's Party (Denmark), Social Democrats (Denmark), Danish People's Party, and figures like Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Early years featured interactions with academics from University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, Copenhagen Business School, and policy advisers connected to European People's Party and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party. CEPOS has hosted events with speakers including Friedrich Hayek scholars, commentators from The Heritage Foundation, and economists associated with Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureates. Over time it broadened contacts to include United Nations forums, bilateral exchanges with United States Department of State, and networks tied to Friends of Europe and Bruegel.

Ideology and Policy Positions

CEPOS advocates positions consistent with classical liberalism and economic liberalism, citing thinkers like Adam Smith, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, John Stuart Mill, and Ludwig von Mises. It supports policies favored by proponents such as Thatcherism, Reaganomics, and market-oriented reforms articulated by World Bank reports and OECD policy recommendations. CEPOS has championed tax reform proposals reminiscent of reforms in United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, and Sweden and has critiqued regulatory frameworks discussed in contexts including the European Union single market, Schengen Agreement, and Lisbon Treaty debates.

Activities and Publications

CEPOS produces policy papers, reports, op-eds, and books, hosting seminars featuring economists and politicians like Niall Ferguson, Deirdre McCloskey, Tyler Cowen, Kenneth Rogoff, Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, Daniel Kahneman, and Amartya Sen. It publishes analyses on topics tied to institutions such as Danish Parliament, European Parliament, Ministry of Finance (Denmark), Central Bank of Denmark, and European Central Bank. CEPOS issues working papers, commentary in outlets like Politiken, Berlingske, and Jyllands-Posten, and organizes conferences with attendees from Council of the European Union, European Investment Bank, Danish Chamber of Commerce, and multinational firms such as Maersk, Novo Nordisk, Vestas, and Carlsberg Group.

Organization and Funding

CEPOS is governed by a board and leadership structure that has included business figures and philanthropists similar to patrons associated with Lars Seier Christensen and contributors from sectors represented by Danske Bank, Nykredit, Arla Foods, TDC A/S, and DSV A/S. Funding sources have involved foundations and donors comparable to A.P. Møller Foundation, Oticon Foundation, Carlsberg Foundation, and international supporters linked to networks around Atlas Network and DonorsTrust. It maintains relationships with academic partners at Roskilde University, University of Southern Denmark, IT University of Copenhagen, and international partners including Harvard University, London School of Economics, University of Chicago, and Stanford University.

Criticism and Controversies

CEPOS has faced criticism from political actors and organizations such as Social Democrats (Denmark), Enhedslisten, SF (Socialistisk Folkeparti), and advocacy groups aligned with labor unions like LO (Danish Confederation of Trade Unions) and Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation. Controversies have involved disputes over funding transparency, debates connected to policies promoted by European Commission directives, and public arguments involving commentators from Politiken, Information (newspaper), and Ekstra Bladet. Critics have compared CEPOS positions to those of Mont Pelerin Society affiliates and raised concerns echoed in analyses by scholars at Roskilde University, Aarhus University, and policy researchers at DIIS.

Category:Think tanks in Denmark