title: [People with a background in economic, political science and law have taken over in the Danish health care sector--or have they?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The distribution of power in the Danish health care sector is debated. It is often claimed that persons with a social science background have taken over the most powerful positions. The aim of this study was to test whether doctors have lost their power to people with a background in economic, political science and law.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of the 100 most powerful people in the health care sector published yearly by the newspaper "Dagens Medicin" from the period 2000-2010 was analysed using multiple regression. The primary independent variable was whether the person was a doctor or had a background in social science.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the top 10 and the top 30 persons with a background in social science dominated over doctors. In the full top 100 list there was an equal number of doctors and social science educated. There was a tendency in the period that the number of social science educated increased whereas the number of doctors decreased. The multiple regressions showed that there was no difference in the two groups' relative power. Also, it was shown that the two groups' relative power varied in the period but showed the same pattern of variation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Persons with a background in social science seem not to have taken over power from doctors in the health care sector. Both groups have lost power in the period - but to whom is still an unanswered question.
authors.affiliation: Forskningsenheden for Sundhedsøkonomi, Syddansk Universitet, 5000 Odense C, Denmark. mbe@sam.sdu.dk
authors.forename: Mickael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bech
authors.forename: Jacob N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Arendt
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kronborg
authors.forename: Jørgen T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lauridsen
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005260:Female; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006291:Health Policy; D006298:Health Services Administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011361:Professional Competence; D012942:Social Sciences; D000078329:Workforce