Restrained Wisdom or Not? The Advisory Roles of Political Scientists in Denmark

Abstract

The few existing studies on Denmark showed that political scientists are not well represented in public committees, while subsequent studies argued that the means by which political scientists offer their advice are writing articles in the media and participation in other such means of communications. The survey used in this study provides empirical data offering interesting new evidence regarding the role of political scientists in the policy advisory system in Denmark. It points to the fact that political scientists deliver substantial policy advice via informal contacts and forms of communication, e.g. to civil servants, civil society organizations, politicians and advisory bodies, mainly at the national level. According to the survey’s respondents, this advice is based on sound scientific evidence, which fits well with survey evidence emphasizing the belief that experts are more prominent than opinionating scholars in Denmark compared to other countries. Thus it would seem that political scientists’ role as providers of informal and direct policy advice has been underestimated. In the light of the amount, and the soundness, of the advice provided informally, Denmark may not be a case of restrained wisdom after all.