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NHH Professors File Formal Complaint Over Wealth‑Tax Debate

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Two NHH professors lodge complaint against colleagues – Professors Guttorm Schjelderup and Petter Bjerksund filed a formal “varsling” against professor Karin Thorburn and associate professor Jøril Mæland, all employed at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) [2].

Dispute originates from public debate on wealth tax – The four academics exchanged arguments in Dagens Næringsliv’s debate column on formuesskatt, with Schjelderup and Bjerksund accusing Thorburn and Mæland of breaching “normal scientific norms” in a September 2, 2025 contribution [1].

NHH confirms inter‑institute complaint – Geir Mikalsen, director of communication and societal contact at NHH, verified that the grievance involves the Institute of Business Economics (Schjelderup, Bjerksund) and the Institute of Finance (Thorburn, Mæland) [1].

Thorburn acknowledges pending case and defends participation – In an email, Thorburn confirmed a case is under review by the employer and stated the issue concerns their involvement in public academic debate [1].

NHH received the complaint in January 2026 – The institution logged the formal complaint at the start of 2026, initiating internal procedures [1].

Case documents remain confidential – All related materials are exempt from public disclosure, limiting external access to the dispute details [1].

  • Karin Thorburn (professor, NHH) – “Slik vi oppfatter det, gjelder den vår deltagelse i den offentlige fagdebatten.” She also wrote, “Når forskere trekker ulike konklusjoner, er det ikke et tegn på normbrudd, men et uttrykk for at vi står overfor komplekse spørsmål som fortjener en åpen, grundig og kritisk diskusjon.”
  • Guttorm Schjelderup & Petter Bjerksund (professors, NHH) – “Når de ikke publiserer sine resonnementer i de former som faget krever, unndrar de seg den kvalitetssikringen som all sunn akademisk diskusjon hviler på.”

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