Corporatism and the Development of Private Aid Organizations in Denmark

Abstract

Private aid has long been an important element in the majority of countries’ development assistance. It has provided means by which to engage with populations in developing countries and assist their development without going directly to their governments; it also enables citizens in the more developed countries of the world to organize and support those they identify with in the developing world; a way by which ‘to do some good’. While the emergence and growth of private aid organizations in Denmark might on the surface appear not so different from that found in most other western European countries, there are some important differences that emerge on closer investigation. In particular the corporate nature of Denmark’s development has provided a strong organizational basis from which to organize private aid; it might also have provided for a stronger sense of solidarity with those facing social exclusion and economic marginalization elsewhere. One consequence is also found in the expectations placed upon the Danish government to support private aid initiatives. For its part, the Danish state has proved itself not to be adverse to using this close partnership to serve the government’s other policy agendas. Finally, the Danish economy performed quite strongly in the 1960s and onwards, providing a relatively broad wealth base from which private aid can be resourced, both from the state revenues generated and from private citizens.