ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the organisational characteristics of regionally based development bodies in Denmark and establishes a typology of their interaction on the regional level. It introduces the methodology of the survey and presents basic information on the selected organisations. The chapter analyses the key characteristics of these organisations with regard to organisation and policy programmes, and discusses the findings in relation to the general expectations of regional development organisations. It illuminates the characteristics of Danish bottom-up regional development initiatives and considers how these are positioned in the broader context of different approaches to regional policy in Europe. The question of bureaucratic autonomy has been examined in order to establish the degree of operational freedom that the various organisations enjoy vis-a-vis their elected political sponsors. A basic survey of the regional development organisation in the Danish counties was conducted by the Association of County Councils in Denmark in 1993.
