Personal profile
Research
I am professor in politics and institutions and research director of the Roskilde School of Governance, which is a political science and public administration research center at the Department of Social Sciences and Business.
My research interests include public sector reforms, network governance, collaborative innovation, interactive political leadership, and innovation management. I am part of a number of Nordic and European research projects that all focus on the co-creation of innovative solutions to complex societal problems and the impact of leadership and institutional design on cross-boundary collaboration. I have a growing interest in climate change research.
My research is primarily based on qualitative data and research methods, but I am also doing mixed method studies that combine qualitative and quantitative methods.
Teaching
I am course director for introduction to politics, modern and classical political thinkers, and governance in public organizations, and I also teach courses on politics and administration in Danish municipalities, public innovation, public governance paradigms etc. I am supervising three PhD students.
Keywords
- Public administration
- Governance Networks
- Public Innovation
Collaborations and research areas
Research output
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A systematic review of conflict within collaborative governance
Torfing, J., Payandeh, R., Jalili, S. M. & Banafi, M., 2026, In: Policy and Politics. 54, 1, p. 2-25 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review › peer-review
7 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Den grønne trepart viser, hvordan bred inddragelse kan bygge bro mellem polariserede grupper og politikere
Torfing, J. & Sørensen, E., 5 Jan 2026, In: Altinget | Miljø.Research output: Contribution to journal › Contribution to newspaper - Comment/debate
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Metagoverning the Inclusive and Empowered Co-creation of Green Transitions
Chen-Florea, A. L. Q., Hustad, O. & Torfing, J., Sept 2026, (Accepted/In press) Handbook on Inclusive Governance. Siddiki, S. & Ambrose, G. (eds.). Edward Elgar Publishing, (Elgar Handbooks in Public Administration and Management).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
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The Generativity of Governance Configurations: How Governance Factors Coalesce to Spur Local Green Co-Creation
Ansell, C., Sørensen, E. & Torfing, J., Apr 2026, In: Governance. 39, 2, e70115.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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Turbulence, robustness and international organizations
Ansell, C., Sørensen, E., Torfing, J. & Trondal, J., Mar 2026, Research Handbook on International Bureaucracies. Trondal, J. (ed.). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 220-234 15 p. (Elgar Handbooks in Public Administration and Management).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
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ROBUST: Robust Crisis Governance in Turbulent Times: Mindset, Strategies, Evidence
Triantafillou, P. (Project participant), Sørensen, E. (Project participant), Torfing, J. (Project participant), Nielsen, R. Ø. (Project participant) & Carstensen, M. B. (Project participant)
01/10/2022 → 30/09/2026
Project: Research
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GOGREEN: Governing Green Transitions
Torfing, J. (Project manager), Sørensen, E. (Project participant), Hustad, O. B. (Project participant) & Chen-Florea, A. L. Q. (Project participant)
01/04/2022 → 31/03/2026
Project: Research
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TURBGOV: Robust governance responses to turbulent problems
Sørensen, E. (Project participant) & Torfing, J. (Project participant)
01/08/2021 → 31/07/2024
Project: Research
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Collaborative Strategies for Robust Governance in Turbulent Times (TURBGOV)
Breimo, J. (Project manager), Sørensen, E. (Project participant) & Torfing, J. (Project participant)
01/08/2021 → 31/07/2024
Project: Research
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ECCO: Coping strategies around co-creation in Norwegian municipalities
Sørensen, E. (Project participant) & Torfing, J. (Project participant)
01/08/2020 → 31/07/2023
Project: Research
Activities
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Samarbejdsdrevet innovation i kriminalpræventive indsatser
Krogh, A. H. (Organizer) & Torfing, J. (Organizer)
9 Mar 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organisation and participation in conference
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ASAP Conference
Torfing, J. (Participant)
15 Mar 2013Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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Chef i teknik og miljø
Torfing, J. (Speaker)
14 Mar 2013Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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Chef i teknik og miljø
Torfing, J. (Organizer)
14 Mar 2013Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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DAKOFAs tekniske råd
Torfing, J. (Speaker)
14 Mar 2013Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Press/Media
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20 eksperter er enige: Her er deres bud på Danmarks nye regering
10/04/2026
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Stor fremgang for Dansk Folkeparti: Ekspert mener, at muslimer bliver syndebuk i kriser
07/04/2026
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Politisk ekspert: At sidde med trippelmandat er en “halsløs gerning”
02/04/2026
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Lolland-Falster stemmer mindre end resten af landet: Professor peger på dybere problem
25/03/2026
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
Datasets
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Collaborative policy making committees in Svelvik Municipality, Norway
Sørensen, E. (Creator), Torfing, J. (Creator) & Douglas, S. (Contributor), DataverseNL, 22 Apr 2021
DOI: 10.34894/ghol6w, https://dataverse.nl/citation?persistentId=doi:10.34894/GHOL6W
Dataset
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Robust Governance During Turbulence. Data from 35 Case Studies on Children's Wellbeing During COVID-19
Pullen, E. (Creator), Temmen, M. (Creator), Kuiper, M. (Creator), Douglas, S. (Creator), Russo, C. (Contributor), Coroado, S. (Contributor), Spacek, D. (Contributor), Torfing, J. (Contributor), Bentzen, T. Ø. (Contributor), Triantafillou, P. (Contributor), Sørensen, E. (Contributor), Nielsen, R. Ø. (Contributor), Peeters, E. (Contributor), Hajnal, Á. (Contributor), Molnár, G. T. (Contributor), Cuomo, F. (Contributor), Kvalvaag, A. M. (Contributor), Tørrisplass, A.-T. (Contributor), Vannebo, B. I. (Contributor), Breimo, J. (Contributor), Lo, C. (Contributor), Torres Pradas, L. (Contributor), Pina Martínez, V. J. (Contributor), RIPOLL CAMPO, L. (Contributor), García Lacalle, J. J. (Contributor) & García-Rayado, J. (Contributor), Zenodo, 7 Mar 2025
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14989122, https://zenodo.org/records/14989122
Dataset
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Exploring Robust Crisis Governance. Qualitative Data from Nine Country Studies of Three Major Crises.
Randma-Liiv, T. (Creator), Nõmmik, S. (Creator), Russo, C. (Creator), Pettrachin, A. (Creator), Caponio, T. (Creator), Coroado, S. (Creator), Torfing, J. (Contributor), Tørrisplass, A.-T. (Contributor), Bartha, A. (Contributor), Vannebo, B. I. (Contributor), Lo, C. (Contributor), Spacek, D. (Contributor), Pullen, E. (Contributor), Cuomo, F. (Contributor), van de Glind, F. (Contributor), Molnár, G. T. (Contributor), Hajnal, G. (Contributor), García-Rayado, J. (Contributor), Breimo, J. (Contributor), García Lacalle, J. J. (Contributor), Rodima, J. M. (Contributor), Nemec, J. (Contributor), Verhoest, K. (Contributor), Túry, K. (Contributor), Campo, L. R. (Contributor), Torres Pradas, L. (Contributor), Kuiper, M. (Contributor), Carstensen, M. B. (Contributor), Temmen, M. (Contributor), Triantafillou, P. (Contributor), Reszkető, P. (Contributor), Nielsen, R. Ø. (Contributor), Douglas, S. (Contributor), Ravazzi, S. (Contributor), Bentzen, T. Ø. (Contributor), Pina Martínez, V. J. (Contributor) & Van Dooren, W. (Contributor), Zenodo, 30 Sept 2025
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17161271, https://zenodo.org/records/17161272 and one more link, https://zenodo.org/records/18848106 (show fewer)
Dataset
Prizes
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Highly Commended paper
Sørensen, E. (Recipient), Bentzen, T. Ø. (Recipient) & Torfing, J. (Recipient), 2020
Prize: Prizes, scholarships, distinctions