The Copenhagen Consensus Center

The Copenhagen Consensus Center is a think-tank in Denmark that publicizes
the best ways for governments and philanthropists to spend aid and development money.

The Copenhagen Consensus Center (CCC) is a centre under the auspices of the Copenhagen Business School. We commission and conduct new research and analysis into competing spending priorities.

In particular we focus on the international community's effort to solve the world's biggest challenges and on how to do this in the most cost-efficient manner. 

We create a framework in which solutions to the world's big problems are prioritized explicitly, with the goal of achieving the most 'good' for people and the planet. 
            

We work with governments, NGOs and multilateral organizations on projects around the world.

The idea is simple, yet often neglected; when financial resources are limited, it
is necessary to prioritize the effort. Every day, policymakers and business leaders at
all levels prioritize by investing in one project instead of another. However, instead of
being based on facts, science, and calculations, many vital decisions are based on political motives or even the possibility of media coverage.

The Copenhagen Consensus approach improves knowledge and gives an overview of research and facts within a given problem, which means that the prioritization is based on evidence. In the late 2002 the Copenhagen Consensus approach originated from a small group of people headed by Bjørn Lomborg, then Director of the Danish Environmental Assessment Institute.

During 2003, an outline for a global conference was created. In May 2004, the first Copenhagen Consensus Conference took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, and brought together eight of the World's leading economists, including 4 Nobel Laureates and 30 of the world's top specialists within ten problem areas.

This was followed by the Copenhagen Consensus United Nations at Georgetown University, which brought together United Nations ambassadors. Copenhagen Consensus United Nations UNICEF built on this success. In 2006, the Consulta de San José saw a focus on Latin American and Caribbean issues.

The global Copenhagen Consensus was repeated in 2008 at the Copenhagen Consensus 2008. CC08 followed up on CC04 and took stock of the world's problems and proposed cost-efficient solutions to mitigate the negative consequences of those problems.

In 2009, the Copenhagen Consensus Center worked on the Denmark Consensus, the Copenhagen Consensus on Climate, and malnutrition conferences in New York and Nairobi, at which new research was released on ways to effectively combat micronutrient deficiencies.

In addition, the Copenhagen Consensus Center continues to work with international organizations and policy makers to develop projects of national and international concern. 

Since its inception, the Copenhagen Consensus Center has received funding from the Danish state. Where recent projects have received any additional funding, you can find that information on our website under the descriptions of those projects. The Copenhagen Consensus Center was established at Copenhagen Business School on January 1, 2006.

The Copenhagen Consensus Center comes under the auspices of the Department of Strategic Management and Globalization at the Copenhagen Business School.