Million kroner grant for five research projects

Through access to new digitalised editions of Kraks Blå Bog (Danish Who is who), it will be possible for the first time to map the development in the Danish elite year by year in parallel with the formation of the Danish society. Kraks Blå Bog in fact portrays 20,000 important Danes from 1910 to the present, which serves as the basis for one of the research projects from CBS, ”Longitudal Networks”; a project that has been financially backed by The Independent Research Fund Denmark.

The Independent Research Fund Denmark has published its annual allocation of grants for independent research, and CBS researchers have received funding for five projects at a total value of DKK 14.8 million. 

The five research projects that have been supported financially by the Fund conduct research within social sciences and business and include:

• A comparative analysis of research policy in Denmark, USA and China. 
• A historical analysis of how the Danish elite has impacted the Danish model.  
• The effect of Chinese import on Danish and Portuguese companies.
• A study of the effect of monetary policy communication on bond and currency prices.
• A mapping of the winners and losers in the globalisation process and how global trade affects Danish welfare.

Read more about the five projects: 

Project title: Isomorphic differences: familiarity and distinctiveness in national science and innovation policies.

Grant recipient: Professor Alan Irwin, Department of Organization 

Grant: DKK 5,497,230

The research and innovation policy of different countries seem increasingly similar in terms of central arguments, investment models and focus areas. This may seem puzzling, since the countries have specific strengths and are in mutual competition. But are the similarities superficial or fundamental? And is that a good or a bad thing? In order to answer these questions, the project compares research an innovation policies from China, Denmark and USA. By analysing general tendencies and concrete initiatives in these policies, the project will be creating new knowledge about what is unique for Danish, Chinese and American research and innovation policy and what similarities they have. The project will also provide insight into how and where differences and similarities emerge and how the individual country balances between copying the innovation-promoting ideas of others and creating their own. A lot of money is spent on research and innovation. The project results will contribute to an important public debate about the ideas that drive these investments and how Denmark differs from the research and innovation policies of others.

Project title: Longitudinal Elite Networks (LONGLINKS)

Grant recipient: Associate Professor Hubert Buch-Hansen, Department of Business and Politics 

Grant: DKK 5,713,519

Through the past 107 years, the Danish society has undergone a unique development. From being a relatively underdeveloped society at the outskirts of Europe, the Danish society is a role model for large parts of the world today, for example when it comes to models for polity, democracy, labour market and welfare. Social researchers have scrutinised the development of the Danish model; however, an essential part of history remains to be mapped. How has the Danish elite - in business, state, politics and associations - affected this development? And how has the elite changed in parallel with social developments? Through access to digitalised editions of Kraks Blå Bog (Danish Who is who), which portrays more than 20,000 Danes from 1910 to the present, it will be possible for the first time to map the development in the Danish elite and its network year by year in parallel with the formation of the Danish society. It is possible to see when - and to which extent - certain groups - for instance women, union officials or economists - step into the Danish elite and in which areas they make their entry. LONGLINKS thus enables researchers to better understand how elite and social developments are connected in the long run.

Project title: Can Innovation and Servitization Help Firms Escape Foreign Competition?

Grant recipient: Associate Professor Dario Pozzoli, Department of Economics 

Grant: DKK 1,232,374

The extraordinary increase in Chinese export in the past two decades have been a new source of competition to European companies. In the 90s and 00s, the EU was exposed to a massive pressure of competition from the import of Chinese goods. The import from China to the EU has in fact risen more than ten times between 1992 and 2012 after China joined The World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. Literature that is looking into the effects of Chinese import on local labour market conditions have become comprehensive. Far less knowledge exists on the effects of Chinese competition on innovation activities at corporate level in small, open economies such as Denmark and Portugal, which are heavily affected by globalisation. In addition, we need to increase our understanding of the role that Chinese import is playing in relation to corporate transition from manufacturing to a larger focus on service. The primary objective of this research project is therefore to illuminate the consequences of the competition from Chinese import for company innovation, phased elimination of production and increased focus on service-oriented tasks and activities. 

Project title: Monetary Policy Networks and Asset Prices  

Grant recipient: Assistant Professor György Venter, Department of Finance 

Grant: DKK 1,529,049

A study of the effect of monetary policy communication on bond and currency prices. Since the interest rates have decreased to below zero in many countries, traditional monetary policy, which affects long-term interest rates by controlling short-term interest rates, have lost momentum. For this reason it has become even more important to understand how central banks communicate and which information they provide, especially in times of crisis. Monetary policy communication delivered worse than expected can result in negative macro-economic shocks to different asset classes, both in the home market and internationally. The project suggests new theoretical models and confirms their impact on state bonds and currency rates by means of new data including international monetary policy.

Project title: Trade and the Distribution of Welfare: An Empirical Approach

Grant recipient: Assistant Professor David Jinkins, Department of Economics

Grant: DKK 875,673

Commitment to globalisation is the cornerstone of Danish economic policy. Denmark is a member of the EU, WTO and the Nordic Council. At the same time, a just society is the epitome of Danish values and an important goal for Danish social policy. Many Danish government initiatives are designed to reduce inequality such as free access to education, public health care, high marginal top-rate tax and comprehensive social assistance. The project wishes to develop a new empirical framework to identify the winners and losers of globalisation, quantify the size of these gains and losses, and decide through which specific channels trade affects the welfare of the Danes. Identifying these channels is a necessary step towards the design of further political initiatives, which can help workers who have been negatively affected by international trade. The results of the project will be useful to Danish decision-makers continuing their efforts to ensure that globalisation benefits a Danish majority.

For more information, please contact:

Annedorte Vad, Research Support Office