ABSTRACT
During the last 25 years, the political system in Denmark has undergone a major transformation. One of the key elements in this process has been a radical decentralization of political and administrative power. The purpose of this decentralization has been twofold: to increase the efficiency of government by enhancing flexibility and hence focusing more on service outcomes, and to increase the level of influence and involvement of ordinary citizens in the governing process. These developments have found support from across the political spectrum in Denmark, albeit for differing reasons. The moderate forces, i.e. the Conservatives and the Social Democrats, have supported initiatives to make governance more efficient by means of administrative decentralization. In contrast, the New Left (Enhedslisten and Socialistisk Folkeparti) and the New Right (Venstre), which are both represented in parliament, have supported political decentralization in order to advance the empowerment of individual citizens in relation to public institutions. In order to understand this process of political decentralization in Denmark it is necessary to explore this apparently strange alliance between the New Left and the New Right.
