Backlash over ‘scapegoating’ of public-sector academics

Danish Association of Masters opposes controversial book suggesting to sack most academic staff

Camilla Gregersen, president of the Danish Association of Masters, has hit back against two populist Danish philosophers over disparaging comments regarding the work of public-sector academics.

Dennis Nørmark and Anders Fogh Jensen are the authors of a 2018 book called Pseudo-work, which suggested that academics in the public sector were occupied with mostly bureaucratic tasks that had no immediate benefit to society. Last week, the pair contributed an article on improving public-sector work, published in the newspaper Politiken, in which they suggested that most academics could be sacked without any impact.