International Center for Business and Politics (CBP)
International Center for Business and Politics (CBP)
The Center's research concerns the institutional challenges, which are increasingly created by the interplay between business and politics.
Highlights of 2005
Internationalisation
Due to CBP's status as an international centre, the CBP researchers are well integrated in international research networks. CBP has a number of permanently attached researchers from leading European and American universities and enters into new international working relationships with persons, institutions and organisations on a regular basis with a view to developing research partnerships on projects and presenting research results.
- In 2005, CBP hosted 12 international seminars on two different themes: State and Economy and Media and Society
- CBP concluded an agreement with professor Charles Sabel, ColombiaUniversity, according to which he would work at the Center for six months to be distributed over a period of three years
- Paul Bernard, University of Montreal, visited the Center in the spring, and a joint research project was initiated as a result
- CBP hosted an international seminar entitled Small States in Comparative Perspective: The Nation-State, Nationalism, National Political and Economical Institutions and the Political Economy
- CBP entered into a working relationship with Warwick University and the Warwick Business School on joint research projects and applications, exchange of academic staff for workshops and PhD courses
- In cooperation with Warwick University and the Warwick Business School CBP launched a series of research seminars in London. A total of six London Seminars will be held from 2005 until the summer of 2006
- CBP hosted a delegation from the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where CBP researchers gave presentations on adjustment opportunities in connection with global challenges, including on flexicurity and institutional competitiveness
- CBP hosted the Swedish Government Office with CBP researchers giving presentations on Result-based public government in Denmark.
- CBP was selected to host the SASE conference in 2007 with 450-500 international participants
- CBP gave a presentation at a CBS event in connection with the visit of a group of academic staff from the Fudan University in Shanghai
- CBP staff participated as teachers in the China Business Leadership Programme project. The project was launched by Cambridge University and involves a China Educational Learning Programme for chief executives from China's 160 biggest government-owned enterprises.
Partnership with the business community
- In 2005, CBP established Forum Europe and Forum on Competitiveness, where people representing the worlds of business and politics, administration, research and cultural life in Denmark can meet to participate in mini-seminars and debates, develop ideas and initiate conferences. Former Minister of Finance and Vice-President of the European Commission Henning Christoffersen chairs Forum Europe, which had 22 members in 2005. The Forum launched fact-finding projects on economic policy in the European Union and on social and welfare policy in the European Union. Former Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs Mogens Lykketoft chairs the Forum on Competitiveness, which is expected to have 25 members from the Danish business community, financial institutions, politics and NGOs
- CBP entered into a partnership with Rambøll Management on subjects including the exploitation of funding opportunities in the European Union and potential joint projects
- CBP entered into a partnership with the weekly newsletter Ugebrevet Mandag Morgen and the Innovation Council on a project on the subject of social innovation as a competitive factor . The purpose of the project is to enable intensive dialogue on, how social innovations allow societies to adapt, handle and take an offensive approach to exploiting the new global reality
- CBP entered into a partnership with the Public Governance Forum on the development of study programmes for chief executives from the Danish public sector.
The learning university
In 2005, CBP offered highly qualified courses for researcher development centres, PhD students, MPA and MBA programmes, executive programmes and a number of study programmes at CBS. At the same time, CBP entered a close interplay with many stakeholders outside the Center in order to develop new courses at CBS and outside CBS and to develop new research themes and projects – nationally as well as internationally. Finally, the purpose of establishing the two forums was to enter into a learning process with players outside CBS.
Academic profile
The Center's research concerns the political and economic consequences of globalisation for the development of institutions. The Center has a broad academic profile comprising political science, economics, history, sociology, journalism and a number of different theoretical and methodological approaches. Academic inspiration is found in partnerships with research centres around the world. The following research fields are of primary interest:
· Economies and business
· States and politics
· Business and political communication
· Public governance
Research strategy
The Center's overall strategy is to develop research that is both innovative and inventive and which meets the highest quality requirements.
The Center gives priority to research in the field of comparative political economics. Furthermore, the Center favours comparative and empirical research with clear theoretical goals.
Its research should preferably contribute to international development of theories and methodology concerning the consequences of globalisation (Europeanisation) for national politico-economic regulation.
The focus is on institutional theories concerning the relationships among economic and political actors, rules, regulations, norms, interests and common understandings in business and politics. The research is always comparative among countries and includes Denmark as one of several countries. In practice, analyses are conducted of various policy areas with emphasis on the following issues:
- How institutions affect decision-making processes and how decision-making processes affect institutions
- Institutional processes of change at macro- or micro-level
- Interaction between institutional entrepreneurs (actors) and institutional environments
- Diachronic and synchronic analysis
Research results
CBP was established on 1 September 2004, so it can only present research results for a period of about 18 months. It should also be noted that the majority of the Center's researchers were employed in 2005. In spite of this, CBP achieved a substantial research production in 2005.
It includes 19 foreign-language and 27 Nordic-language publications in the categories of books, articles, prefaces in anthologies and articles in journals. In addition to nine books, 21 articles/prefaces and 16 articles in journals, publication included 15 proceedings and 21 working papers. In this connection it should be noted that a large number of registered working papers were accepted in a review process with a view on publication in internationally recognised journals and that several working papers were accepted for publication later on.
In addition to printed publications, CBP wishes to actively present research and research-based knowledge to different target groups outside the established research environments. Thus, the category "Other publications" includes 143 contributions to reports, feature articles, interviews etc. in the daily press.
International publication calls for high-quality research. In its endeavours to achieve this, CBP regularly arranges work-in-progress seminars, where the Center's own researchers, researchers from other CBS units, other universities and visiting researchers discuss and criticise research in progress.
Research relations to practice
The prioritisation of empirical institutional research involves extensive relations to practice, including public institutions and the private business sector. All CBP researchers are therefore in great demand as presenters at conferences, conventions, seminars and other activities aimed at a wider audience. Furthermore, researchers participate in working groups, supervisory boards, councils and commissions contributing to the development of public policies, strategic and tactical decision-making in enterprises, financial institutions, unions and professional organisations. At the same time, CBP is developing theories and methodologies for the study of the institutional competitiveness of countries, which have been received with interest on the part of the Danish government, the Commission of the European Union, OECD, unions and professional organisations and financial institutions. This way, CBP is involved in the considerations of central actors on, how to handle the challenges of globalisation.
Last updated by Martin Iskou Olsen 26/11/2008
