Stakeholder Involvement in the Civil Security Systems: How (Dis)Similar are the CEE Countries Compared to the Rest of Europe ?

Abstract

Abstract Civil security is one of the crucial public goods provided by the state to protect its society from devastating disasters. The increasing complexity of disasters and the expanding scope of non-military challenges call for an increased heterogeneity of core actors and for more participatory governance. Yet little is known about the patterns of stakeholder involvement in civil security across countries. Based on a comprehensive dataset covering 22 European countries, the article presents systematic evidence on the official involvement of different types of stakeholders in the national civil security governance systems. The goal is to explore whether the European countries with similar characteristics fall into geographically and culturally similar categories and whether similar patterns can be observed across the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. The research questions addressed are: Do the European countries with similar characteristics fall into geographically and culturally similar categories ? Is the CEE region distinct from others ? To answer the questions, a hierarchical cluster analysis is conducted using security governance as a framework for analysis. The association is further tested between the different clusters of countries and broader cultural variables. The results suggest that despite sharing cultural similarities and geographical proximity, the CEE countries form mixed clusters with other non-CEE European countries. While the involvement of civil society organizations is quite universal, especially the involvement of private for-profit actors and multilateral engagement seem to discriminate among different types of civil security governance setup.