ABSTRACT
The reform of the Danish system of pre-pension originated in the research on disability pensions that took place at the Danish National Institute of Social Research in Copenhagen from the 1960s. The labour market participation of physically disabled persons was surveyed and the main result, that is the people with disabilities are very well able to work if only they had enough self-confidence, was used as the basis of legislation for vocational rehabilitation. The research on regional differences - in terms of awarding pre-pensions-incidentally discovered that the way local authorities administered pre-pensions and other provisional benefits was decisive for the number of awarded pensions. With the 1998 legislation the ability assessment was introduced, not yet directly formulated in law texts but in an indirect way. The Danish pre-pension reform with its orientation towards integration on the local level and a less medical concept of disability is rather unique in Europe.
