This report is the second country assessment to be published as part of the OECD study on value for money in government. This study, launched in 2008 on the initiative of the Dutch government, aims to identify new developments in the organisation of central government that are leading to better value for money: better services at lower costs for taxpayers. The first report in the Value for Money series was published in July 2010 under the title Public Administration after “New Public Management”. The second report was the country assessment of the Netherlands, published in May 2011.

This report presents the results of the assessment of the organisation of central government in Denmark. It is part of the Value for Money in Government series, which is a multi-annual study that aims to identify reforms currently under way or planned in OECD member countries that are interesting from the point of view of value for money. The study looks at reforms aimed at improving the quality of services (more value) and efficiency (less money) in central government.

This chapter describes the background for the study on value for money in government and the methodology for collecting and analysing information for this report on Denmark.

This chapter describes basic features of the Danish central government, including central government employment, central government expenditures, and central government revenues.

This chapter discusses the three main periods of restructuring of the Danish government sector: the 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s. The only real overhaul of the Danish budget process in the last 30 years was the budget reform carried out in 1984-85. Other elements of reform over the past 30 years include devolving responsibility to agency heads and enhancing the accountability dimension.

This chapter presents the ten reforms or reform trends that are particularly interesting for Denmark. Nine of the reforms focus on the various types of government activity: policy development, policy execution, regulatory and/or supervisory activities, and support services. The tenth reform focuses on types of organisations.