The great advances are behind us. But it doesn't have to be that way
Today, a new think tank goes live. Behind INVI - Institute for Wild Problems are a number of key social actors who have all noticed the same challenge: It's as if the political system isn't really making inroads on the big social problems.
A new independent think tank is being launched today. A number of key players from politics, business and culture, research, foundations and civil society are behind the new think tank, INVI - Institute for Wild Problems.
According to co-founder and former minister, Tommy Ahlers, we face a paradox in Denmark today:
"Societal problems are getting wilder, while solutions are getting tamer."
But it doesn't have to be that way, says Tommy Ahlers:
"Perhaps Denmark should be a pioneer for new ways of tackling wild problems. With our strong, collaborative democracy, we are well placed to succeed, but it requires us to rethink the way we create social change. That's why we created INVI."
Tommy Ahlers is co-founder together with Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, Dean of the University of Copenhagen, and Vibe Klarup, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
INVI is funded by TrygFonden and Bikubenfonden.
Sigge Winther Nielsen in conversation with Sine Egede Eskesen and Signe Lopdrup
Tackling the big problems
Sigge Winther Nielsen has taken the initiative for the think tank. He is therefore leaving his job as director of Djøf to head INVI - Institute for Wild Problems. The need is urgent, he believes: "As a society today, we produce lots of reforms, but rarely manage to tackle the big problems.
"I fear that we will not see the same progress in the next fifty years as we did from 1950 to 2000. Many people find it difficult to point to really big developments since the turn of the millennium, even though there have been many reforms."
Sigge Winther has previously worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance and hosted DR2 Deadline. He holds a PhD in political science and published the book Entreprenørstaten in 2021.
INVI's first board meeting
The wild problems are piling up
Since the publication of The Entrepreneurial State, he has traveled the country and spoken to a wide range of people - from educators and school teachers to entrepreneurs, business owners and ministers.
"It surprised me how much the analysis resonated with those who deal with wild problems on a daily basis. I feared that I had written a long-winded book, but it hit something very concrete and urgent for those who deal with the problems in practice," he says and continues:
"Many people experience a huge frustration: They work hard without really managing to tackle the wild problems. Take climate change, unhappiness or a shortage of workers in the labor market. Many are left with the feeling that something is wrong, but find it hard to put their finger on exactly what it is."
So are politicians to blame? Not necessarily. Most politicians are better than their reputation. Rather, it's that we are facing a different kind of problem than in the past.
"We've gone from tame to wild problems," explains Sigge Winther Nielsen. "Wild problems are cross-border and stubborn. They are hard to define and cannot be solved by simply constructing a building or raising or lowering taxes. And that's where the think tank INVI comes in."
"I believe that the Danish model is better at solving wild problems than China's strong state and the US free market. But it requires us to take our tradition seriously and develop how collaborative democracy works in practice. It requires a new toolbox. Together with other good people, INVI will try to develop visions and tools that make Denmark a pioneer country for wild problems. Just as we were in solving the domesticated problems."
Moon landing missions
In the coming years, INVI will work on four "moon landing missions" to help Danish society become a better problem solver. The first mission is nerdy, but crucial. We will develop a model that measures which problems are 'tame' and 'wild', because we already have a toolbox for the tame ones, but the wild ones often require more time, more people and new ideas. The mission is led by Professor Jacob Gerner Hariri, while Senior Advisor Carl-Johan Dalgaard chairs an advisory group of experts and practitioners from government and civil society.
Co-founders of INVI and the think tank board
Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen (Chairman of the Board)
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of CopenhagenVibe Klarup (Vice Chair)
Secretary General of Amnesty International and Chair of FolkemødetTommy Ahlers
Entrepreneur, former Minister ofSigne Lopdrup
Managing Director of Roskilde Festival GroupKristian Vendelbo
Managing Director, National Association of Local Authorities in DenmarkTorben Jensen
Deputy Director in the Danish Parliament and Parliamentary SecretarySine Egede Eskesen
Development Director, Bikuben FoundationKristian Weise
Deputy Director, Trygfonden
