The “Norwegian Model” in Security Policy : An Analysis of State-Civil Society Cooperation in the Framework of Security Governance

The aim of this study is to explore whether the special form of cooperation between the Norwegian state and civil society in the field of security policy, and more specifically the small arms and light weapons (SALW) issue, is an instance of what Elke Krahmann terms “security governance”. Furthermore, my intention is to identify potentially unique factors and circumstances that contribute to the efficient functioning of the Norwegian model in this case, that could be the basis of future studies on the applicability of this Norwegian trademark in other settings, such as the European Union. Based on the Norwegian SALW export regime, I find that governance arrangements are indeed present in security policy and that the well-functioning Norwegian model is not restricted to the area of humanitarian and development policy. Furthermore, the potential for the successful export of the Norwegian model to the EU is there, though there are some deficiencies presented in the thesis that need to be addressed so that the inclusion of civil society in decision-making and policy implementation can increase efficiency and function as the remedy for the democratic deficit and legitimacy crisis of the EU