An election campaign is peak season for grand political visions, yet many politicians find in practice that their influence becomes minimal once they are elected.
CBS Associate Professor Emil Husted has followed the work of Danish politicians closely for a year and a half, and he argues that what is formally the centre of power often feels more like the centre of powerlessness for many elected representatives. He recounts a statement from a committee chair:
"My mandate represents more than half a per cent of the Danish population, and my party’s even more, but I have so little influence that I can hardly bear it anymore."
This sense of powerlessness is linked in particular to Denmark’s model of agreement parliamentarism, which since the 1990s has meant that much legislation is negotiated in the ministries, where spokespersons from the various parties are summoned to the minister for talks.
"It can be difficult for many politicians if they lack advisers or experience. And once everything has been agreed behind the scenes, it is sent to the parliamentary chamber, committees run their course, but nothing is truly up for negotiation. It becomes a staged process that drains the debates," Husted concludes, who also serves as programme coordinator for the HD2 programme in Organisation and Management.
The feeling of powerlessness is further fuelled by high work pressure, intense competition within and between parties, top‑down control, and a media landscape that publishes continuously and demands immediate responses.
"In Denmark, MPs hold more committee posts than in all the other Nordic countries combined. The cocktail of extreme workloads, constant scrutiny, competition and minimal influence on their core task creates a profound sense of powerlessness," says Emil Husted.
From Power to Powerlessness: What Politicians Can Teach Us About Leadership
The Danish election has been called, and soon 179 elected representatives will move into the centre of power at Christiansborg. But according to Associate Professor Emil Husted’s research, many quickly find that power turns into powerlessness. High work pressure, fierce competition and limited influence on legislation take their toll on politicians. The same forces affect leaders outside of the parliament. But there are countermeasures.
By CBS Executive EducationAccording to Emil Husted, one of the consequences of this powerlessness is that it becomes increasingly difficult to recruit politicians.
"3 per cent of the Danish population are members of a political party, and far fewer are active. The recruitment base is therefore minimal," he concludes, referring to Hal Koch - the theologian and democracy scholar who had a major influence on Danish political thinking by emphasising dialogue, public participation and democracy as a way of life.
"If the ideal is a democratic society built on Hal Koch’s principles - dialogue at the centre, cooperative governance, and laws shaped through collaboration between the government and Parliament, as stated in the constitution - then this sense of powerlessness is anything but conducive."
"In Denmark, members of Parliament hold more committee positions than in all the other Nordic countries combined. The cocktail of extreme workloads, constant competition and public exposure, together with having very little influence over their core task, creates a profound sense of powerlessness."
Emil Husted, Associate Professor at CBS and Programme Coordinator for the HD2 programme in Organisation and Management
The powerlessness experienced by politicians is not a phenomenon confined to the parliamentary chamber. On the contrary, many leaders outside Christiansborg recognise the same mechanisms when Emil Husted presents his findings.
Recently, he spoke with a group of public‑sector leaders from the Master of Public Governance (MPG) programme:
"Those working in the ministries recognised that power has drifted out of the parliament and into the ministries - and not even the line ministries, but the Ministry of Finance," he says.
Speed is also a condition felt by both politicians and leaders, Emil Husted explains. The constant hurry‑hurry culture results in a sense of alienation, because there is no time to truly familiarise yourself with the tasks.
"Speed also increases the risk that organisations become top‑down controlled. When there is no time for broad collaboration, quick decisions are made by the few," says Emil Husted, adding that this leaves the many - both politicians and leaders - feeling powerless.
The parliament itself has begun taking steps to slow down its work. Emil Husted explains that from the new parliamentary term, the number of committees will be reduced, and the legislative process has already been extended by ten days - from 30 to 40 days - although fast‑track bills remain possible.
In his book ‘Afmagtens centrum’, which describes the working conditions of members of the Danish parliament, Emil Husted offers a series of proposals that could improve the situation for politicians:
"We can reverse the legislative process so it doesn’t end in the committees but starts there, and we can make greater use of the preparatory committees. This can be translated to leaders elsewhere: Instead of top‑down decisions, one can choose inclusive bottom‑up processes."
There is also a question of aligning expectations with the public - a process that begins already during the election campaign. It concerns how we talk about what politicians should do. Is politics a boxing match in which politicians fight verbally, or do we want a parliament where politicians practise cooperation?
Emil Husted recommends a focus on democratic leadership:
"For both politicians and leaders, it is about asking: What does a good democratic conversation look like? Rather than thinking of leadership as making efficient decisions. It is important to reflect on the nature of the problem we are facing - instead of rushing to solve it. This calls for a different kind of involvement, and it is not only about whether people can recognise themselves in a decision, but about understanding what the problem is and what the solution might be."
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