Actors' Theories of Legitimate Secrecy - The Case of Public-Private Partnerships in the German Bundestag

Abstract

Executive secrecy poses a normative challenge to democratic systems: It conflicts with transparency norms and requirements for publicity. Nevertheless, examples of executive secrecy can be found in all kinds of policy fields. How can we make sense of this tension? The paper first discusses theoretical perspectives on political secrecy. Second, it empirically reconstructs debates about secrecy, its legitimacy and limitations in the German Bundestag, drawing on a qualitative case study of debates about public-private partnerships. It shows how political actors make sense of secrecy, tracing their practical theories of legitimate secrecy.