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Courtesy
of UM/Lars K. Crone
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Prime Minister |
Denmark and the United States
are two of the worlds top Globalized nations, according
to the fifth annual A T Kearney/Foreign Policy Globalization
Index. The A T Kearney/Foreign Policy Globalization
Index is the first comprehensive measure of globalization
and its impact. It measures economic, person-to-person,
political and technological integration in the 62
countries that account for 96% of the world’s
total GDP and 85% of the world’s population.
Many believe that economic "globalization,"
the increasing integration of economies through
trade and financial flows, generates growth, jobs,
and wealth for all involved. As WTO Director General
Mike Moore put it, "Globalization is not an
ideology, not a political theory, but an economic
evolution."
Denmark believes in globalization and has approached
it proactively. Foreign Minister Moeller explained,
"It is an objective of our government that
Denmark remains an active player on the international
scene by engaging in the debates on global issues,
influencing developments, and offering the world
an ideal environment for higher learning and corporate
growth. We have set up the globalization council
to tackle the challenges of going global and to
serve the Danish people."
The Globalization Council has prepared a comprehensive
strategy for Denmark to remain a leader in the global
economy. The Council is chaired by the Prime Minister
Anders Fogh Rasmussen and consists of business leaders,
academic representatives, global experts, and labor
union spokespersons. This spring, the Danish government
presented its globalization strategy that contains
350 initiatives and sets out to achieve "Progress,
Innovation and Cohesion." A large part of the
proposals aim at strengthening education, research
activities, and innovation.
Education has long been a priority for Denmark,
which invests 8 percent of its GDP into education
making it number one in the world. It is a fundamental
target by the Council that research and development
should amount to 3 percent of the GDP by 2010.
"It is the goal of the Danish government to
maintain and further improve on the business environment.
Not only so our entrepreneurs can excel but so that
other countries can set up facilities here and reap
the benefits of our finely tuned system," said
Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller.
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DENMARK
