Åpenhetsparadokset. Åpne eller lukkede møter i lokalpolitikken?

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the publicity of political meetings. While Norway has mandatory open meetings in all political bodies at the municipal level, in Denmark all the meetings apart from the council meetings are mandatory closed. This gives a good opportunity to study how the difference plays out in practice, and which effect open meetings have for political leadership. The analysis illustrates the paradox related to openness – open meetings do not necessarily give more openness. Instead, more deliberation and political discussions in Norway are moved to informal meetings external to the formal democratic system, like political party meetings which are closed to the public. In a brief and subsequent chapter, two Norwegian Mayors explain their experiences with closed meetings.