Michael Gøtze

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Michael Gøtze is a Professor (Ph.D., LL.M., LL.B.) of Administrative Law. He was awarded the Ph.D.-degree in law in 1998 at the Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen. His dissertation is an analysis of the administrative law principle of "détournement de pouvoir". His research focus is the citizen's right to good administraiton. Currently his research revolves aorund: 

• Rule of law challenges (Covid, digital administration, political impact)
• Control mechanisms within public administration. Investigation and assessment of political-administrative cases by means of scrutiny commissions and other legal investigative tools
• Transparency and openness within public administration
• Whistleblowing and the right to freedom of expression of public employees
• Digital administration and digital impact
• Parliamentary Ombudsman Control

Michael is involved in a number of collective research projects inter alia on digital errors ("systemic errors") embedded and/or occuring in digital solutions within public administratiion and on the normative framework of civil service with a view to duties to objectivity, loyality and obedience. 

As member of the Advisory Committee Michael contributed to the European Law Institute project "AI and Public Administration: Developing Impact Assessments and Public Participation for Digital Democracy" (ELI, Vienna).    

Michael is a member of a number af European research networks (within administrative law, public law, European Union law) and he has contributed to comparative research on the laws of transparency and to the preparatory work within the Legal Affairs Committee under the European Parliament on the development and codification of a European Administrative Law Rules. 

Michael is director of the faculty's research center WELMA focusing on welfare within social law, labour law, health law, tax law, EU law etc.  

As to professional experiences, Michael previously worked as a civil servant (Ministry of the Interior) and as a judge (Eastern High Court). 

Primary fields of research

Michael's primary research publications in English include:  

• Digitally ready legislation in Dansh law. The strengths and weaknesses of digital simplicity in new legislation, peer-reviewed chapter in Digitalisation of Administration and the Pandemic Reaction, edited by Weaver, R., and Hoffmann, H. Cambridge, Cambridge Scolars, 2022, pp. 132-160 (28 pages). https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-8682-6
  
  
• Digitally ready legislation as a new concept in Danish law - an erosion of the rule of law? peer-reviewed chapter in Privacy, Digitalization, Rule of Law: Some Comtemporary Challenges, edited by Jonason, P., Stockholm, 2021, Sodertorn Hogskola, Vol. 1, pp. 67-79 (12 pages). https://sh.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1516665/FULLTEXT03.pdf
  
  
• Transparency on a bumpy road; Denmark (co-authors: Pernille Boye Koch and Rikke Gottrup), peer-reviewed chapter in The Laws of Transparency in Action, edited by Dragos, D., Kocac, P. and Marseille, B., Palgrave MacMillan, 2019, pp. 563-595 (33 pages). https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/library/library-blog/posts/the-laws-of-transparency-in-action-a-european-perspective-edited-by-dacian-c-dragos-polonca-kovac-and-albert-t-marseille/
  
  
• Civil Servant Norms of Neutrality under Pressure - Yes, Minister, in a Danish Context, (co-author: Pernille Boye Koch), working paper, EGPA September 2019 Conference, Queen's University, Belfast. 
  
  
• Current Challenges to Danish Courts and Public Administration, Walking the line between law and politics, peer-reviewed chapter in Administrative Law, Administrative Structures and Administrative Decision Making, edited by Weaver, R., et al., North Carolina, Carolina Academic Press, 2018, pp. 13-22 (11 pages). 
     
  
• New Challenges to Democracy: Denmark (co-author: Jens Elo Rytter), peer-reviewed article in European Review of Public Law,  2015, vol. 27, 1, pp. 321-339 (18 pages).   
  
  
• Administrative Appeals and ADR in Danish Administrative Law, (co-author: Inger Marie Conradsen) peer-reviewed chapter in Alternative Dispute Resolution in European Administrative Law, edited by Dragos, D., and Neamtu, B., Springer, 2014, pp. 155-180 (26 pages). https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-34946-1
  
  
• The Danish Implementation of the Services Directive, peer-reviewed chapter in The Implementation of the Services Directive, Transposition, Problems and Strategies, edited by Stelkens, U., Weiss, W. and Mirschberger, M., TMC Asser Press, 2012, pp. 159-180 (21 pages).
   
• Restrained Integration of European Case Reports in Danish Legal Information Systems and Culture, (co-author: Henrik Palmer Olsen), peer-reviewed article in Nordic Journal of International Law, Volume 80, Number 3, 2011, pp. 279-294 (15 pages).   
  
  
• Ombudsman. A National Watchdog with Selected Preferences, peer-reviewed article in Utrecht Law Review, Vol 6, Issue 1, 2010, pp. 33-50 (18 pages). https://utrechtlawreview.org/articles/10.18352/ulr.113

As to research impact on the role of ombudsman Michael has contributed to a variety of efforts to expand and strenghten the ombudsman model. On this backdrop, he has collaborated with e.g. the DG Enlargement/European Commission, the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES), the European Group of Public Administration (EGPA), the EU Ombudsman and the Committee of Legal Affairs/European Parliament.