Michael Gøtze

Short presentation

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). 

Teaching

Undervisningskompetencer på fakultetets jurauddannelser

Michael er uddannet cand.jur. og Ph.D. Har været på studie- og forskningsophold i bl.a. Belgien (Leuven) og Frankrig (Aix-Marseille). Michael har pædagogisk uddannelse og lægger vægt på inddragelse af de studerende bl.a. ved hjælp af digitale værktøjer. Michael har undervist i forvaltningsret, offentlige myndigheders erstatning, offentlig ansættelsesret, dele af civilproces. EU-ret og Juridisk metode. Han er fagvejleder og klyngevejleder (BA/KA). Han er medlem af 3 faggrupper. 

I forhold til strategiske satsninger arbejder han med at bygge bro mellem uddannelse og forskning som led i KU-strategi og udbyder WELMAs projekt om offentlighedsloven. Michael bidrager med emner af samfundsmæssig betydning til forsøg med temaforelæsninger på BA 5. semester. Michael støtter fakultetets arbejde med at styrke det fagsociale miljø for studerende og har samarbejde med studenterforeningerne. Han har holdt oplæg på Arguments forskerfrokoster om bl.a. whistleblowing, oplæg på JDs temauge (forår 2023) om FE-sag og på JD event om Højesterets dør-kendelser i FE-sagen (dec 2023). Michael er inviteret af JD til fagligt interview i Stud Jur-bladet om retsstatsuddannelse (marts 2025) . I samarbejde med professor Lin Adrian, CIS, udbyder han i 2025 et nyt praksis-orienteret kursus i regi af fakultetets EVU-satsning, KL og Akademikerne, støttet af puljemidler, om Den gode borgerrådgiver.

Michael er medlem af Advisory Board for tidsskriftet Retskraft (Copenhagen Journal of Legal Studies), som er rettet mod fakultetets studerende. 

Oversigt over undervisning- og vejledningskompetencer 2025:

• BA = Juridisk bacheloruddannelse. KA= Juridisk kandidatuddannelse.
• Vejledning omfatter klynge- og fagvejledning (BA-projekt/KA-speciale).

Knowledge of languages

English and French