Consensual culture in Denmark

1. Consensualculture in Denmark Karl Löfgren, PhD Department of Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University.

2. ”State traditions” (Loughlin& Peters, 1997)

3. A brief politicalhistory of denmark • 1660-1848 Absolutism • 1849 The first democratic constitution (grundlov) • 1901 Parliamentarism • 1953 Revision of the constitution • 1973 Entry to the EEC • 2007 The structural reform (a new political map)

4. The premises for a consensualpoliticalculture – the ’normal’ explanations • Homogenous population (language, religion, ethnicity) • A multi-party system • An ideal of equality – lack of certain privileged groups • A republican democratic ideal – state and civil society are not considered to be opponents (samfund) • High degree of trust (in government and other citizens) • A shared understanding of a joint (national) destiny • A high degree of organisational/political experience

5. Examples of institutionalised forms of consensualpoliticalculture • The consensual culture during the legislative work in parliament • The self-organised labour market policy • New forms of advisory boards in local governments • Board of technology assessment: consensus conferences, expert hearings etc.

6. The consensualculture in the Danish parliament • The classical form of lobbyism is not common in the Danish parliament. • Several commissions with representatives from organised interests at the beginning of the law processes • The constitutional requirement of minimum 30 days between the first reading of a bill and the decision in parliament – the open door for external outputs to the standing committee. • The tradition of broad coalitions between the political parties (e.g. the budget act).

7. The self-organisedlabourmarket • Labour market relations are by and large regulated by general agreements between employers and the trade unions. • The system goes back to 1899. • A well-developed system of negotiations and arbitration. • Few examples of government interventions. • Both central and decentral institutions

8. New advisoryboards in localgovernments • From the right be heard (1980s) to fully integrated partners in local decision-making • Function in many local areas (’perish’) as the coupling between the local civil society (e.g. sports associations, the church etc) and the local government in matters concerning service delivery. • Although no formal decision-making competences, there is a committment among politicians and civil servants to pay attention to what is being said and discard citizen voices.

9. Consensusconferencesorganised by the technologyassessmentboard • The first one was held in 1987 (based on US experiments) • A group of ’lay-citizens’ are chosen to examine a technological issue, discuss possible problems, cross-examine experts, and arrive at a consensual recommendation. • The form has been tried outside the field of technology assessment (e.g. the Euro referendum in 2002) • Are taken seriously and into account by the politicians

10. Someconclusions • The political consensual culture in Denmark is based on years of experiences. • However, that does not mean that certain institutional forms cannot function outside Denmark. A couple of things are worth remembering though: • The Danish style of consensual culture is more time-consuming. • It also requires a more open attitude towards other actors in politics. • Consensus means compromising with ideals, ideologies and world views.