Organization of the Copenhagen Consensus

The seed for Copenhagen Consensus grew out of the Environmental Assessment Institute in Denmark, established in 2002. Bjorn Lomborg, now-President and Director of Copenhagen Consensus Center was the Insitute's first Director. The Institute is an independent body of the Danish government which provides economic and environmental cost-benefit analyses. 

The idea to develop Copenhagen Consensus emerged from this concept and broadened its scope to include not only environmental and economic policies, but address some of the most important issues facing the planet. 

The first Copenhagen Consensus was held in May of 2004. It was the culmination of 18 months of research and review and brought together leading economists in their respective fields. As the name suggests, these experts gathers in Copenhagen to discuss the research and set a prioritization of the day’s most pressing issues.

The idea was to bring together leading thinkers in their respective fields and provide an apples-to-apples comparison or competing priorities. An Expert Panel, composed of Nobel Laureates, evaluated the proposals and ranked them. The policies most deserving of aid dollars were, of course, listed at the top. 

Copenhagen Consensus is an outstanding, visionary idea and deserves global coverage” - The Economist

The Copenhagen Consensus was funded by the Danish state and The Economist newspaper. The Economist ran a series of articles covering the proceedings and highlighting the issues. à http://www.economist.com/node/2592716

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