Repressive Tolerance of Organised Interests: The Eagerness to Not Listen When Consulting

Abstract

Consultation of interests is often seen as a source of both input and output legitimacy. However, consultation only strengthens output legitimacy if it leads to improvements in legislative proposals. This detailed study of consultation reports in Denmark – chosen as a most-likely case when it comes to consultation having an effect on the substance of laws – shows a major difference in the amenability of different governmental branches but that, in general, the authorities do not listen much despite a strong tradition of consultation. This risks jeopardising the transfer of knowledge from societal actors to administrations, thus having a detrimental effect on the potential that consultation has to strengthen output legitimacy.