New head of centre: 'We must be proactive troubleshooters'

Note that this article is from August 2021, when the center went under the provisional name 'Copenhagen Center for Public Policy'. The center was launched on December 13, 2021 as the Crown Princess Mary Center.

For the past six years, you have headed a global organisation. Why have you made the switch to the Copenhagen Center for Public Policy?

’Because I consider building a centre like this one a unique opportunity to help solve some of the most complex issues facing society. There is a great need for a centre for public policy. For decades, we have tried, unsuccessfully, to solve a number of social problems. I really believe the knowledge we create here at the University of Copenhagen can help us succeed’.

What is so special about the Copenhagen Center for Public Policy is its readiness to make the university’s huge, credible knowledge base available to those wrestling with practical social issues.

Can you give us an example?

’Take the climate crisis. According to the latest report from the UN Panel on Climate Change, we need to move fast and make radical societal changes. We have already developed the technical solutions, but we are still at a loss when it comes to implementing them at the required pace'.

'Here we need the knowledge created in the humanities, social sciences, law and theology. Because how do you create behavioural changes in society? Which types of laws and regulation does it take to reduce CO2 emissions from private homes? And how do we change existing food, travel and transportation cultures to reduce the strain on the climate? We will not be able to solve the climate crisis if we do not let the “dry” sciences enter the scene and help social actors speed up the implementation of existing climate solutions’.

What can the Center for Public Policy do?

‘We need to act as a credible knowledge partner to the social actors facing difficult problems for which we still do not have convincing solutions. And I mean it when I say “credible knowledge partner”, because I believe that what is special about the Copenhagen Center for Public Policy is its readiness to make the university’s huge, credible knowledge base available to those wrestling with practical social issues. Today, a lot of people produce knowledge: Consultancies, think tanks, NGOs and public institutions often have their own analysis departments. But the way they produce knowledge is often highly instrumental, and they are not as thorough as the university’.

Aside from making its knowledge publicly available, what can the University of Copenhagen gain from increased cooperation with e.g. organisations?

’We need to bring our knowledge into play in contexts where it is practicable and can inspire action. We need to create new knowledge together with the people who cannot just continue to problematise issues, but at some point have to reach a decision and start acting. This is a unique combination: combining credible knowledge created using well-proven methods and processes with practical challenges to inspire action, often within a limited time frame’.  

But isn’t there a risk that independent research is compromised when you start cooperating with actors with very narrow interests?

‘First, it is my impression that a lot of researchers really want to cooperate closely with actors outside the university. It is extremely meaningful to see the knowledge you have produced within a specific research field directly inspire people working in e.g. legislation or administration in the public sector. But you are absolutely right. Research practice and organisations operating on the basis of narrow interests can be at odds with each other'.

'What makes research so valuable is its independence. That is, problematising and developing a given knowledge field. Of course, the researchers’ approach will be different from those often looking for the pieces that will fit into a specific puzzle. But I do not think it is a conflict that cannot be solved’.

How will you and the centre address this issue?

‘When we enter into collaborations, they must be meaningful to both parties. We simply will not go out and sell ourselves – just to be able to take part. That is why I believe we need to initiate a lot of these collaborations ourselves. When we identify a problem that we believe our knowledge can help solve, we should offer our help to the actors wrestling with this problem’.

Do you think other parts of the university could benefit from a more aggressive culture?

‘Actually, I consider the Copenhagen Center for Public Policy an exhibition of all the great work conducted at the University of Copenhagen. We should not simply create new collaborations and new knowledge; we should also use a lot of the work we have already done. It is my hope that in five years we will look back and be able to say that the centre has helped give the university a stronger voice in social debates. That we have managed to demonstrate the great value of the work conducted here at the university’.

Simon Kjær Hansen will take up office on 1 September.