The Culture of Secrecy

Vincent, David

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198203070.001.0001

Cited by 33 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Historically, the documents have been accessible to a select few and the state officials have not been obliged to provide the same to the public, unless governments choose otherwise. Much of the freedom for information lobby is driven by the claims that public availability of official documents will enhance democracy and public accountability, curb unethical behaviour and improve public policy-making (Bennett, 1985;Vincent 1998;Birkinshaw, 2010). However, the documents are prepared and held within an organisational context which may not necessarily share the same aspirations and officials may develop diverse strategies for resisting, or obfuscating the release of the information.…”

Section: Accountability and The Statementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such concerns have given rise to the politics of establishing new 'regimes of truth' culminating in freedom of information laws to control the flow of the state held information to citizens. Following persistent criticisms (Bennett, 1985;Vincent 1998;Birkinshaw, 2010) The research described in this paper was conducted in what may loosely be described as 'action research' (McSweeney, 2000) where inquiry is regarded as a dynamic process and a response to the problems encountered rather than the application of some predetermined set of rules. Such engagements are framed by situated understandings of the material in hand, the importance of the issues, reflexivity of analysis and a range of pragmatic values.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Using freedom of information laws to frustrate accountability: Two case studies of UK banking frauds

Sikka¹

2017

Accounting Forum

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Accountability is considered to be central to the functioning of a democratic and informed society. A large volume of literature theorises accountability and explains how it should be and could be deepened. There is a general view that the availability of state held information can enhance possibilities of citizen participation and democratic governance, and check unethical and corrupt behaviour by state and corporate elites. The state held documents can arguably enable citizens to construct a richer account of corporate frauds, accounting/auditing scandals and regulatory failures and call policymakers to account. The neoliberal state has managed the tensions between the public demands for information and the tendency to protect elites from public scrutiny by regularising the flow of information via freedom of information laws. Such laws hold out the possibility of greater information, but also give state officials plenty of discretion to frustrate unwelcome requests. The issues are explored through two case studies relating to banking frauds in the UK. The cases highlight the dynamics of calling the state to account through the freedom of information laws and show that the state apparatus goes to considerable lengths to shield elites from public scrutiny. Keywords: Accountability, Freedom of information, Banks, Frauds, Accountants IntroductionAccountability is a key concept in contemporary societies and is frequently associated with processes designed to secure trust between decision-makers and affected parties (Sinclair, 1995;Ahrens, 1996). Notions of accountability are deeply embedded in modernity (Hood and Heald, 2007) and considered to be a key to fostering democratic governance and possibilities of greater citizen participation in public policymaking (Habermas, 1976;Hirst, 1994;Young, 2000;Beck, 2003;Castells, 2010). The discourse of accountability is subject to ongoing contestation (Laclau and Mouffe, 1985) and the meanings associated with it are shaped by power and politics. At its heart are concerns about the provision of information and the right to know reasons for particular conducts and hold decision-makers responsible for their actions (Roberts, 1991;Broadbent and Laughlin, 2003). A commonly held view is that every citizen "should know the events and circumstances that concern him, since this is the condition without which he cannot contribute to decisions about them …" (Simmel, 1950: 337). The demands can relate to wide arena and cover issues such as probity, legality, morality, managerial, programme, performance and policy matters (Stewart, 1984).The neoliberal state is a key actor in promoting and legitimising practices associated with accountability. Its legitimacy is bolstered by promises of eroding secrecy, enhancing transparency and informing citizens about the conduct of public policy. Therefore, it can be mobilised to investigate corporate collapses, frauds and accounting/auditing failures and inform citizens about the conduct of public policies. However, much of the state ge...

show abstract

Section: Accountability and The Statementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using freedom of information laws to frustrate accountability: Two case studies of UK banking frauds

Sikka¹

2017

Accounting Forum

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Ce phénomène se renforce à travers les enquêtes récentes que nous avons détaillées précédemment. Certains ouvrages abordent une problématique large sur les relations entre renseignement, services secrets et démocratie (Gill, 1994 ;Leigh & Lustgarten, 1994 ;Vincent, 1998 ;Robertson, 1999 ;Moran, 2013). D'autres études sont plus spécifi quement focalisées sur la question du contrôle parlementaire et de sa nature particulière dans le cas du renseignement puisque le Parlement est dépossédé de sa fonction d'Oversight au profi t de l'Intelligence & Security Committee (Robertson, 1988 ;Phythian, 2005b ;Gill, 2007aGill, , 2007bPhythian, 2007 ;Omand, 2008).…”

Section: Interrogation Démocratique Et Contrôle Des Services De Renseunclassified

Comparaison franco-britannique de la recherche sur les services de renseignement

Chopin

Irondelle

2013

crimino

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alors que la publication devenue « industrielle » de recueils et de manuels sur les études du renseignement (Intelligence Studies) démontre l’arrivée à maturité des études sur le renseignement au sein de la science politique internationale, la recherche universitaire sur le sujet demeure en France au stade de l’émergence. Le retard français par rapport au Royaume-Uni se double d’un second sur le décalage entre faible connaissance et importance des services de renseignement, la France étant un des rares pays à disposer d’une panoplie complète de services de renseignement intérieurs et extérieurs, civils et militaires, et de moyens techniques de premier plan. L’article présente l’état actuel des études sur le renseignement en France et au Royaume-Uni, analyse la trajectoire du développement de ce champ de recherches et avance des hypothèses sur la réussite britannique et le développement tardif et fragile des études sur le renseignement français. L’explication tient au fonctionnement du marché universitaire, aux transformations de l’État et des modalités de la reconnaissance institutionnelle et sociale du renseignement, et enfin à la mécanique d’un processus différencié de relégitimation du renseignement sur les deux rives de la Manche.As the increasing number of handbooks on intelligence studies indicates, internationally political science has reached a certain level of maturity. However, in France, academic research in this field is in its infancy. The French academic research not only started to develop long after intelligence studies in Britain, but France is also unique because of a paradox : While public knowledge is weak, France is one of the few countries to run a full range of intelligence activities and organisations, both civil and military, human and technical, etc. This paper presents the current state of research on intelligence in France and the United Kingdom, analyzing the developments in this field in both countries. It speculates on the British achievements compared to the late and fragile development of French intelligence studies. These differences can be explained by many factors including the functioning of the academic market, the transformation of the state and recognition of intelligence, and, finally, the legitimization of intelligence on both sides of the Channel.Mientras que la publicación, devenida “industrial”, de manuales sobre los Estudios de Inteligencia demuestra la maduración de los estudios sobre las tareas de inteligencia en el seno de la ciencia política internacional, la investigación académica sobre el tema permanece, en Francia, en estado emergente. Al atraso francés en relación al Reino Unido se agrega un segundo desfase entre el poco conocimiento e importancia de los servicios de inteligencia, siendo Francia uno de los pocos países en disponer de una panoplia completa de servicios de inteligencia interiores y exteriores, civiles y militares, y de recursos técnicos líderes. El artículo presenta el estado actual de los estudios sobre inteligencia en Francia y en el Reino Un...

show abstract

“…A partir de ese momento los estudios sobre el secreto han abarcado diversos ámbitos, desde la política, (Shils, 1956), la literatura (Kermode, 1979), la jurisprudencia (Scheppele, 1988), la criptografía (Fabbri, 1995/2001), la antropología (Tefft, 1980, la historia (Vincent, 1998), la psicoterapia (Imber-Black, 1998), la psicología evolutiva (Van Mannen y Levering, 1999), así como otros muchos aspectos con los que el secreto se relaciona, como la vergüenza, la intimidad, la mentira… La principal cualidad que aporta Simmel es resaltar el carácter de nexo social que el secreto puede suponer. Simmel es un formista, considera que el secreto es una "forma" social, independientemente de su contenido, pero que opera de manera específica según se trate de parejas, de simples conocidos o de auténticas sociedades secretas.…”

Section: El Secretounclassified

Microsociology of Secrecy in The Secret Life of Words, or Isabel Coixet reads José Luis Pardo

Dueñas

2013

ATHENEAD

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

La sociología del secreto ha puesto de relieve la capacidad de los secretos para unir a las personas a pesar de que la palabra originalmente signifique "separación". A menudo se muestran los secretos como pecados destructivos que debemos confesar. "La vida secreta de las palabras" (2005), de Isabel Coixet, es una película que muestra cómo los secretos se comparten como intimidad, construyendo una burbuja hecha de palabras. De hecho es el sentido que le da José Luis Pardo. La intimidad no es la soledad, no es el deber de explicitar lo más profundo de nosotros mismos. No es el significado denotativo de las palabras sino la connotación, es lo que las palabras llevan de contrabando entre dos personas: la vida secreta de las palabras. Por último, teniendo en cuenta la poderosa implicación del secreto en el Espacio Tiempo Social, procuraremos esbozar a través de la película algunos elementos útiles para su análisis. Esopo (1969, p. 55). Palabras clave Intimidad IntroducciónNuestra pretensión con este artículo es indagar en la posibilidad de estudiar sociológicamente el secreto desde el punto de la intimidad. Se trata, por tanto, de una visión "micro" en la que se privilegia el sentido de "unión" más que el de separación, se valora el aspecto positivo del secreto en una relación en lugar de poner el acento en los efectos devastadores como se apreciaba en la magistral Secretos y Mentiras de Mike Leigh. Para este propósito Isabel Coixet nos brinda un film repleto de matices, de personajes al límite y de paisajes en el que podemos, quizás como en pocos, apreciar claramente los conceptos sociológicos del secreto y filosóficos de la intimidad. 149Gallego Dueñas, Francisco Javier (2013). Microsociología del secreto en La vida secreta de las palabras, o Isabel Coixet lee a José Luis Pardo. Athenea Digital, 13(2), 149-168. Disponible en

show abstract

The Culture of Secrecy

Cited by 33 publications

References 0 publications

Using freedom of information laws to frustrate accountability: Two case studies of UK banking frauds

Using freedom of information laws to frustrate accountability: Two case studies of UK banking frauds

Comparaison franco-britannique de la recherche sur les services de renseignement

Microsociology of Secrecy in The Secret Life of Words, or Isabel Coixet reads José Luis Pardo

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About