Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1944, Page 39

INSTITUTE OF ECONOMICS AND HISTORY 29
It was primarily to render possible such a program of col-
laboration and at the same time to create a center for the disse-
mination of information on the political, economic and social
development of the outside world, that the Institute of Econo-
mics and History was founded in Copenhagen and began its
activities on February ist, 1927. Besides Dr. Munch the most
active part in the preparatory negotiations was taken by the
well-known Swedish economist, Dr. Bertil Ohlin, who at that
time served as professor at the University of Copenhagen, and
by his colleague at the same seat of learning, the historian pro-
fessor Dr. Aage Friis.
Organisation
The aims of the Institute are defined in the second clause of
its by-laws, which says: “The object of the Institute is to pro-
mote the scientific study of Denmark’s history and of her social
and economic affairs, to widen the knowledge in Denmark of
the modern economic, social and political development of other
countries, to contribute to international research in these fields
and on the whole to support international scientific collabora-
tion.”
The Institute is governed by a Board, whose members ex of-
ficio include the teachers of history and of political and social
economy at the University of Copenhagen as well as the head
of the Statistical Office of the Realm. Moreover — and this is
important — the Board can elect to membership persons outside
the teaching personnel of the University if they are qualified by
their expert knowledge in the fields of study of the Institute or
by their participation in practical political or organizational ac-
tivities.
The Board chooses for 12-month periods a President and a
Vice-President; the latter becoming automatically the Treasurer
of the Institute. These two officers, together with two mem-
bers of the Board, form an Executive Committee. To examine
the various projects, scrutinize manuscripts, and so forth, the
Board sets up supervisory committees which are responsible to
it for the scientific standard of the publications of the Institute.
In special cases members of the supervisory committees can be
chosen from outside the Board. The administrative work of the
Institute is entrusted to one or two executive secretaries elected