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In Europe over the last two decades, marketization has become an important policy option in elder care. Comparative studies predominantly adopt an institutional perspective and analyze the politics and policies of marketization. This analysis takes a step back and examines the fundamental ideas underpinning the policies of marketization, using the 'What's the problem?' approach by Carol Bacchi. The central question is how the market was discursively framed as the solution to the perceived problems of three different systems of elder care, and how such processes are similar or different across the three countries. The analysis includes two extreme types of elder care systems, the Nordic public systems in Denmark and Finland, and the Southern European family-based model in Italy. Empirically, the analysis offers interesting insights into processes of constructing and legitimating markets at the level of discourse; this occurs by defining specific problem representations, underlying assumptions and silences. In all three countries, marketization is presented as a solution which builds on rather than challenges dominant ideas of care. Conceptually, in addition to its institutions, it is crucial to understand the ideas behind the marketization of elder care. Ideas emerge as a key leverage for making policies and practices of marketization acceptable and which decision makers and other influential political/societal actors use in policy and public debates. The importance of ideas is further underlined by the fact that they do not necessarily relate to the institutions of elder care systems in a linear way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2011, al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, was killed in Pakistan and the US president, Barack Obama, concluded a decade of global ‘war against terror’. In light of this, it seems only sensible to explore what implications the post-9/11 international developments have had on a local basis in specific national contexts. With this in mind, this article focuses on Denmark and discusses how the critical event of 9/11 motivated a security/integration response, including various pre-emptive measures that have cast the Muslim population asthe usual suspects. It will discuss how these changes have affected the everyday lives of ordinary Danish Muslims over the last ten years and changed the relationship between majorities and minorities. Finally, it will also examine how and why recent national and international events have created the potential for another shift in majority–minority relations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reviews the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2012 based on an analytical framework distilled from coordination theory. It shows how the Danish Presidency had to coordinate in a post-Lisbon environment and against the backdrop of a severe economic crisis. The overall goal of the Danish Presidency was to adopt a number of initiatives which would create 'a more responsible, dynamic, greener and safer Europe' in a professional way. In order to realise these aims, the Danish Permanent Representation in Brussels had wide room for manoeuvring the negotiations, as long as they stayed within the broad framework defined in Copenhagen. Overall, the Danish Presidency performed well and gained recognition for having professionally closed several major initiatives in a turbulent political period of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the authors insights on the neoliberalism of Denmark under the coalition of the Vestre party. He discussed changes happened in Denmark from having social democracy and labor movement to a coalition party privatizing hospitals and some of restrictive immigration legislation in the world. He says that the coalition keeps winning elections because of the changes to Danish society wrought by the European Union (EU) membership. He mentions the demolition happened in Christiana, a 900-person intentional community in Copenhagen, where foreigners are resided. According to the author, no one could predict Denmark's future ahead under pro-business and xenophobic governments.

The article presents news briefs on political science, political parties, practical politics, elections, and the cabinet system in Denmark under Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Bendt Bendtsen is Minister of Economy and Business Affairs while Lene Espersen is Minister of Justice. Ninety-eight municipalities have an elected board each and the decision-making right regarding municipal taxes.

Investigates the relationship between economic conditions and party support for coalition parties in Denmark and the Netherlands. Use of the simple reward-punishment model to account for changes in citizens' support for political parties; Citizens' differentiation between coalition partners; Parties' issue priorities.