Henrik Christoffersen

Henrik Christoffersen er tidligere forskningschef i den liberale tænketank CEPOS og mangeårig iagttager og kritiker af det danske velfærdssamfund. I sin nyeste bog går han i rette med de faste forestillinger om lighedens velsignelser og statens monopol på velfærd. Lighed har været velfærdsstatens sande dna siden velfærdsstatens dannelse. Frem til 1980’erne blev den økonomiske ulighed mellem danskerne da også stadig mindre. Herefter, og altså i mere end fire årtier, er uligheden imidlertid øget år for år. Bogen eftersøger, hvad der ligger bag. Det var ikke realistisk fortsat at øge skattetrykket efter begyndelsen af 1980’erne, og der opstod nye prioriteringer i dansk politik. Stort set alle økonomiske reformer i de senere år har i sig selv øget den økonomiske ulighed. Det er en udvikling, som sætter spørgsmålstegn ved, om ligheden overhovedet har været en grundlæggende værdi for danskerne, eller om udviklingen blot har været drevet af trangen til økonomisk vinding for det bestemmende flertal.

Denmark and Switzerland are small and successful countries with exceptionally content populations. However, they have very different political institutions and economic models. They have followed the general tendency in the West toward economic convergence, but both countries have managed to stay on top. They both have a strong liberal tradition, but otherwise their economic strategies are a welfare state model for Denmark and a safe haven model for Switzerland. The Danish welfare state is tax-based, while the expenditures for social welfare are insurance-based in Switzerland. The political institutions are a multiparty unicameral system in Denmark, and a permanent coalition system with many referenda and strong local government in Switzerland. Both approaches have managed to ensure smoothly working political power-sharing and economic systems that allocate resources in a fairly efficient way. To date, they have also managed to adapt the economies to changes in the external environment with a combination of stability and flexibility.

Denmark and Switzerland are small and successful countries with exceptionally content populations. However, they have very different political institutions and economic models. They have followed the general tendency in the West toward economic convergence, but both countries have managed to stay on top. They both have a strong liberal tradition, but otherwise their economic strategies are a welfare state model for Denmark and a safe haven model for Switzerland. The Danish welfare state is tax-based, while the expenditures for social welfare are insurance-based in Switzerland. The political institutions are a multiparty unicameral system in Denmark, and a permanent coalition system with many referenda and strong local government in Switzerland. Both approaches have managed to ensure smoothly working political power-sharing and economic systems that allocate resources in a fairly efficient way. To date, they have also managed to adapt the economies to changes in the external environment with a combination of stability and flexibility.

Regionsdannelsen blev en dramatisk begivenhed i danmarkshistorien, da den på mange måder bryder med fortidens tænkning om demokrati og serviceproduktion. I denne bog fremlægges historien om regionsdannelsen, om hvordan regionerne blev undfanget som forestilling, skabt som politisk/administrative systemer og født som organisationer, der straks blev kastet ud i en kamp for overlevelse. Bogen udpeger nogle udviklingslinjer, der kan blive lige så dramatiske som dannelsen af regionerne.