CEPOS

Danish think tank

Centre for Political Studies
CEPOS
Center for Politiske StudierFounders| Bernt Johan Collet
and others

|

Established| 2004
Focus| "Furthering personal and economic freedom and the rule of law in Denmark"[citation needed]
Chair| Jan Duckert
CEO| Jes B. Christensen
Subsidiaries| CEPOS University
Address| Landgreven 3, 3. Sal
DK-1301 København K
Location|

Copenhagen

Denmark

Coordinates| 55°40′58″N 12°35′08″E﻿ / ﻿55.6829°N 12.5855°E﻿ / 55.6829; 12.5855
Website| About CEPOS (English)

Centre for Political Studies, also known as CEPOS, is an independent association[1] which works as a classical liberal/free-market conservative think-tank in Denmark. It is a strongly right-leaning and highly political association.[2][3]

## History

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Inspired by institutions such as The Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, Adam Smith Institute, Institute of Economic Affairs, and others, CEPOS was founded on 11 March 2004 by a number of high-profile representatives of Danish academia, business, media, and the arts, including former defence minister 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. In 2023 he was succeeded by Jes B. Christensen.[4]

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 2 October 2004, the founders confirmed their decision to establish the think-tank, CEPOS. The official opening of CEPOS took place on 10 March 2005 at Hotel D'Angleterre.

CEPOS is dedicated to preserving and strengthening what they see as the foundations of a free and prosperous society by supporting tax-cuts, limited government, and private enterprise as well as vital cultural and political institutions.[citation needed] The work of CEPOS claim to support a civil society consisting of free and responsible individuals and to foster policies, institutions and culture that is supportive of a free market economy, the rule of law, and a civil society consisting of free and responsible individuals.[citation needed]

The think tank is a known advocate of school choice, a more open immigration policy, lower taxes and less regulation, and a known opponent of increased public surveillance, anti-terrorism laws that curtail civil liberties and criminalizing what they see as "victimless crime". CEPOS produces policy analyses on a wide range of issues, including education, immigration, legal reform, taxation, regulation and the public sector. It hosts numerous conferences each year and has attracted high-level speakers, including Robert Barro, George Borjas, Nobel laureate Edward Prescott, Nobel laureate Gary Becker, Nigel Lawson and many others.[citation needed]

CEPOS is frequently quoted in the media, with over 5000 media clips amassed over its years in operation,[when?][citation needed] and was described by the Danish business magazine Berlingske Nyhedsmagasin in 2007 as being "in charge of the public debate".[5]

CEPOS is the Danish participant in the Economic Freedom of the World Project[6][failed verification] as well as the International Property Rights Index.[7][failed verification]

### CEPOS Academy

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In 2006, CEPOS launched CEPOS Academy (CEPOS Akademi), 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.[8] Admission is highly competitive.[citation needed]

## Criticism

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CEPOS has repeatedly been criticized for downplaying the effects of climate change and its consequences for both the environment and the global economy.[9][10][11][12] In Danish science magazine Videnskab.dk researchers have accused CEPOS of utilizing a type of deflective climate scepticism to stall serious climate action.[11]

## Awards and ranking

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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. It was awarded the 2006 Templeton Freedom Award, given an Honorable Mention in the 2007 Templeton Freedom Award Grant, and received the 2007 Templeton Freedom Prize for Initiative in Public Relations. It was awarded second place in the 2008 Sir Anthony Fisher International Memorial Award for the best book published by a think tank and won the 2009 Fisher Venture Grant Award.[13]

In the 2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report (Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, University of Pennsylvania), CEPOS was placed number 52 (of 80) in the "Top Think Tanks in Western Europe".[14]

## References

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1. ^ "Virk Data". Danish Business Register (CVR). Retrieved 14 January 2014.
2. ^ Carlsen, Signe Rugholt (30 October 2009). "Efterlyses: Venstreorienteret tænketank med penge og power". Information (in Danish). Retrieved 14 January 2020.
3. ^ "Socialminister fortier post i Cepos". DR (in Danish). 10 March 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
4. ^ "Cepos fyrer topchef og henter erstatning i Dansk Erhverv". Altinget.dk. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
5. ^ "Berlingske Nyhedsmagasin nr. 26 2007 'CEPOS sidder på den offentlige mening'AERF". bny.dk. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
6. ^ "Level of Economic Freedom". Free the World. Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
7. ^ "International Property Rights Index". www.internationalpropertyrightsindex.org. Archived from the original on 9 March 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
8. ^ "CEPOS AKADEMI". CEPOS. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
9. ^ Amalie Holstein, Mia (22 September 2018). "Cepos-chef til vækstkritiker: »I min verden er nulvækst en utroligt skræmmende tanke«". Politiken. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
10. ^ Sørensen, Peter Birch (26 September 2018). "Økonomiprofessor til Cepos-chef: Du undervurderer klimakrisens omkostninger. De er ekstremt svære at forudsige noget om". Politiken. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
11. ^ a b Friis Lund, Jens (14 April 2020). "Klimaskepsis 2.0: Sådan nedvurderer 'eksperter', debattører og politikere klimaudfordringen". Videnskab.dk. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
12. ^ Voldsgaard, Asker (2 March 2020). "Økonom advarer mod klimatrivialisering: Hvis den breder sig, kan opbakning til klimalovens målsætning let fordampe". Politiken. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
13. ^ "Atlas Economic Research Foundation press release". atlasusa.org. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
14. ^ James G. McGann (Director) (4 February 2015). "2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report". Retrieved 14 February 2015.

## External links

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* CEPOS
* CEPOS University