Agenda (think tank)

Last updated
Agenda seminar in Oslo, January 2015. Foreign Minister Borge Brende speaks, while Agenda manager Marte Gerhardsen and former PM Gro Harlem Brundtland listen in. Agenda IMG 8234 marte gro borge.jpg
Agenda seminar in Oslo, January 2015. Foreign Minister Børge Brende speaks, while Agenda manager Marte Gerhardsen and former PM Gro Harlem Brundtland listen in.

Tankesmien Agenda is a Norwegian think tank established in 2014 [1] . Agenda is positioned in the center-left of Norwegian politics. Tarjei Skirbekk was the project leader for the establishment of the think tank after the parliamentary election in 2013 and until the summer of 2014. Agenda's first executive director, Marte Gerhardsen, led the organization for the first four years and was succeeded in 2018 by Trygve Svensson [2] .

Contents

Raymond Johansen is the chairman of the board [3] . He succeeded Anne Grete Strøm-Erichsen and lawyer Geir Lippestad. Hans-Christian Gabrielsen was a member of the board. Current board members include Mette Nord and Jørn Eggum.

Purpose

According to Tankesmien Agenda's own website [4] , the organization aims to be "a politically independent think tank that contributes to societal analysis and progressive policy development for center-left politics in Norway."

Tankesmien Agenda works knowledge-based for a society with real freedom for all. This assumes small differences, equal opportunities, high trust, and strong democratic institutions. Everyone should have the freedom and opportunity to participate in community life, everyday life, and work on equal terms, regardless of where they come from, who they are, and what resources they have. A fair societal development requires continued growth and welfare – within the framework of climate goals and nature's tolerance limits.

Objectives and funding

Agenda is largely funded by its owner, LO, in addition to collaborative projects. The industrial leader and billionaire Trond Mohn owned 49% of the shares until 2021 [5] and contributed significantly in the early years of the think tank.

The think tank's stated aim is to develop policies and analyses for center-left politics in Norway (or social democracy, according to Aftenposten). The focus of the research activities includes inequality, welfare economics, distribution, working life, and international politics.

Staff

Trygve Svensson took over as leader in 2018 after Marte Gerhardsen, who had been the leader for four years [6] . Svensson has a background [7] as an advisor to CEO Eldar Sætre at Equinor, as a state secretary [8] in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and as an advisor to the Labour Party in the Parliament.

Other employees at Agenda include Hannah Gitmark, who is the deputy leader [9] . She came from the position of political journalist at Dagsavisen and has previously worked as a journalist at Oppland Arbeiderblad.

Events

In December 2014, Agenda hosted a visit from the French economist Thomas Piketty in Oslo. In front of a full audience at the University Aula, Piketty gave a lecture on his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. In connection with Piketty's visit, Agenda published a short film about inequality in Norway. To mark the 10th anniversary of the book's release, Agenda also published a note titled Piketty, 10 Years Later [10] .

The Aula events have become an annual tradition, and Agenda has organized "Agenda in the Aula" with speakers such as Zeynep Tufekci, Robert Putnam, Raj Chetty, and David Wengrow.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Einar Gerhardsen</span> Prime minister of Norway (1945–1951, 1955–1963, 1963–1965)

Einar Henry Gerhardsen was a Norwegian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Norway from 1945 to 1951, 1955 to 1963 and 1963 to 1965. With a total of 16 years in office, he is the longest serving Prime Minister in Norway since the introduction of parliamentarism. He was the leader of the Labour Party from 1945 to 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trygve Bratteli</span> 26th Prime Minister of Norway

Trygve Martin Bratteli was a Norwegian newspaper editor, a politician with the Norwegian Labour Party, and Nazi concentration camp survivor. He served as the 26th prime minister of Norway from 1971 to 1972 and again from 1973 to 1976. He was president of the Nordic Council in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labour Party (Norway)</span> Centre-left Norwegian political party

The Labour Party, formerly The Norwegian Labour Party, is a social democratic political party in Norway. It is positioned on the centre-left of the political spectrum, and is led by Jonas Gahr Støre. It is the senior party in a minority governing coalition with the Centre Party since 2021, with Støre serving as the current Prime Minister of Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Democratic Party (Norway)</span> Christian-democratic political party in Norway

The Christian Democratic Party is a Christian political party in Norway that has since 2019 espoused Christian conservatism, right-wing populism and anti-LGBT politics. It was founded in 1933 and its political position has varied over time, as it represented a more liberal form of Christian democracy prior to 2019. The party is an observer member of the European People's Party (EPP). It currently holds three seats in the Parliament, having won 3.8% of the vote in the 2021 parliamentary election. The current leader of the party is Dag Inge Ulstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haakon Lie</span> Norwegian politician

Haakon Steen Lie was a Norwegian politician who served as party secretary for the Norwegian Labour Party from 1945 to 1969. Coming from humble origins, he became involved in the labour movement at an early age, and quickly rose in the party system. After actively working for the resistance movement and the exiled government during World War II, he was elected to the second-highest position in the party after the war, and his years in office were the most successful in the party's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Gahr Støre</span> Prime Minister of Norway since 2021

Jonas Gahr Støre is a Norwegian politician who has served as the 36th and current Prime Minister of Norway since 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Esbati</span> Iranian-Swedish politician and economist (born 1976)

Ali Esbati is an Iranian-Swedish politician of the Left Party who was a member of the Riksdag from 2014 to 2024. An economist, he was the chairman of Young Left from 2001 to 2004. He was also the economic spokesperson for the Left Party from 2022 to 2024. He became famous for his blogging; his blog Esbatis kommentarer was at one time one of the most popular Swedish political blogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tove Strand</span> Norwegian politician

Tove Astri Strand is a Norwegian director and former politician for the Labour Party. She was active in politics between 1963 and 1992, including two periods as a government minister. She headed the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation from 1997 to 2005, and since 2005 she is the director of Ullevål University Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Tore Sanner</span> Norwegian politician

Jan Tore Sanner is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party who has held several ministerial positions in Erna Solberg's government between 2013 and 2021. He was also the party's deputy leader from 2004 to 2022, having first been second deputy for the first four years and first deputy for the last fourteen. Sanner has also been a member of parliament for Akershus since 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trygve Slagsvold Vedum</span> Norwegian politician

Trygve Magnus Slagsvold Vedum is a Norwegian politician who has served as Minister of Finance since 2021. A member of the Centre Party, which he has led since 2014, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hedmark since 2005. Vedum also served as Minister of Agriculture and Food from 2012 to 2013.

The Red Party is a socialist political party in Norway. It was founded in March 2007 by a merger of the Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist Party. A Marxist party, it has been described as left-wing and far-left on the political spectrum. In its political programme, the Red Party sets the creation of a classless society to be its ultimate goal, which the party says is "what Karl Marx called communism". The party's other goals are replacing capitalism with socialism, an expansive public sector and nationalisation of large enterprises. It strongly opposes Norway becoming a member of the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terje Aasland</span> Norwegian politician

Terje Aasland is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He has served as Minister of Energy since 2022. He has also been a member of parliament for Telemark since 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geir Pollestad</span> Norwegian politician

Geir Pollestad is a Norwegian solicitor and politician for the Centre Party. He is currently serving as the minister of agriculture and food since 2023, and has been a member of parliament for Rogaland since 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lubna Jaffery</span> Norwegian politician (born 1980)

Lubna Boby Jaffery is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She has served as minister of culture and equality since 2023 and a deputy member of parliament for Hordaland since 2009. She previously served as Bergen city commissioner for labour, social affairs, and housing from 2019 to 2021.

<i>Universitas</i> (newspaper) Weekly newspaper edited and written by students in Oslo, Norway

Universitas is a weekly newspaper edited and written by students in Oslo, Norway. It has its editorial offices at the University of Oslo and has been published every week since 1946. With a weekly circulation of 17,000 and 30 publications a year, as well as around 30,000 page viewings a week, Universitas is one of the largest student papers in Europe. It is distributed every Thursday morning on 28 places of higher learning in Oslo.

Gro Møllerstad is a Norwegian headhunter, former editor and politician for the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadia Tajik</span> Norwegian politician

Hadia Tajik is a Pakistani-Norwegian jurist, journalist and politician from the Labour Party. She served as Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion from 2021 to 2022. She previously served as Minister of Culture from 2012 to 2013. She was 29 years of age at the time and became the youngest minister to serve in the Norwegian government. She is the first Cabinet member that is a Muslim. Tajik has served as a Member of Parliament representing Rogaland since 2017, and Oslo from 2009 to 2017. She was also the party's deputy leader from 2015 until 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Norwegian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 11 September 2017 to elect all 169 members of the unicameral Norwegian Parliament, the Storting. The non-socialist parties retained a reduced majority of 88 seats, allowing Prime Minister Erna Solberg's Conservative-Progress coalition to remain in government. The Liberal Party joined the coalition in January 2018 but it remained a minority cabinet until the Christian Democratic Party joined the coalition in 2019. The three largest centre-left parties won 79 seats. The Green Party retained its single seat, while the Red Party won its first ever seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marte Gerhardsen</span> Norwegian politician and civil servant

Marte Gerhardsen is a Norwegian civil servant, politician and organizational leader. She is a daughter of Rune Gerhardsen and Tove Strand.

Sigve Endresen is a producer and director of documentary films.

References

  1. ↑ "Forside". Tankesmien Agenda (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  2. ↑ "Menneskene". Tankesmien Agenda (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  3. ↑ "Menneskene". Tankesmien Agenda (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  4. ↑ "Om Tankesmien". Tankesmien Agenda (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  5. ↑ Birkelund, Helge Rønning (2022-09-21). "Mohn takker for seg i Tankesmien Agenda". frifagbevegelse.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  6. ↑ NTB (2018-09-03). "Trygve Svensson blir ny Agenda-leder". frifagbevegelse.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  7. ↑ "Altinget - Alt om politikk: altinget.no". www.altinget.no. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  8. ↑ regjeringen.no (2008-02-15). "Jens Stoltenberg's Second Government". Government.no. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  9. ↑ "Menneskene". Tankesmien Agenda (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  10. ↑ "Piketty, 10 år etter". Tankesmien Agenda (in Norwegian). 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.