1st Edition

Secrecy in European Politics

Edited By Berthold Rittberger, Klaus H. Goetz Copyright 2019
    268 Pages
    by Routledge

    268 Pages
    by Routledge

    Secrecy is a prevalent feature of politics within and among liberal democratic states, as well as in the relations between states and international organisations. However, surprisingly little research in political science has explored the effects of secrecy on policy making; the evolution of the regulatory frameworks that govern the use of secrecy; and the tensions between secrecy and transparency.





    This fascinating volume examines secrecy in European politics across a range of EU and national settings and policy domains, exploring the technological, social and political developments which appear to signal the end of privacy and the rapid expansion of political secrecy in European multi-level settings. Consequently, the tensions between democratic accountability with its transparency requirements, and political secrecy, which is typically justified on grounds of effectiveness of state action, have become more marked and more politicised. Engaging with these developments, the authors focus on actors’ motivations in secret politics; institutional perspectives that highlight contestation over secrecy norms; and organisational perspectives that emphasise the diversity of secrecy cultures.





    This book will be of great interest to students, researchers and professionals of political science and law. It was originally published as a special issue of the journal West European Politics.

    1. Secrecy in Europe Berthold Rittberger and Klaus H. Goetz  2. Second order secrecy and Europe’s legality mosaics Deirdre Curtin  3. Courts and the politics of secrecy: national security, human rights and the importance of supranational oversight Federico Fabbrini  4. The economy of secrecy: security, information control, and EU–US relations Thierry Balzacq and Benjamin Puybareau  5. Secrecy and the making of CFSP Mai’a K. Davis Cross  6. Contestation and co-optation: why secrecy in EU external relations varies Guri Rosén  7. Political secrecy in Europe: crisis management and crisis exploitation Christian Kreuder-Sonnen  8. Information sharing, secrecy and trust among law enforcement and secret service institutions in the European Union Hartmut Aden  9. Ambient accountability: intelligence services in Europe and the decline of state secrecy Richard J. Aldrich and Daniela Richterova  10. Explaining variation and change in supervisory confidentiality in the European Union Christopher Gandrud and Mark Hallerberg  11. Leaking, leak prevention, and decoupling in public administrations: the case of the European Commission Ronny Patz

    Biography

    Berthold Rittberger holds the Chair in International Relations at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute of Political Science, University of Munich, Germany. He is co-editor of the Journal of European Public Policy.



    Klaus H. Goetz holds the Chair in Political Systems and European Integration at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute of Political Science, University of Munich, Germany. He is co-editor of the journal West European Politics.