Research Spotlight on Gaston Moonen

Gaston Moonen, European Union Fellow, spoke with Yale about his time at the university during the 2024-25 academic year. Moonen is chief editor at the European Court of Auditors (ECA). His research centers on public accountability in the multi-level governance structure of the EU and the U.S.

How did you find your way to Yale?

About a decade ago, I learned from the EU Fellows Programme. Through this program EU civil servants can, after application and selection, undertake research and/or teaching at a university of their choice anywhere in the world, normally for one or two semesters. The list of universities to choose from has about 25 universities, ranging from the European University Institute in Florence to Oxford University, from the National University of Singapore to Harvard University. About half of the list are universities located in the U.S. Every year about six civil servants are selected for this global program. I heard about the program from somebody who had applied but was not selected. I got immediately interested and said to myself: one day I will apply and go back to studying in the US, where I had studied twice already, once in Minneapolis and another period in the early nineties in New York City. When choosing which U.S. university to apply to, the MacMillan Center immediately drew my attention. Its diversity, its interdisciplinary approach and easy access to various faculties, providing interaction and access to many excellent speakers touching on various aspects most relevant for EU policy. With my extensive experience working on accountability issues, I figured I can relate to many aspects covered under the MacMillan umbrella and offer comparative insights at one of the world's top universities.

Tell us more about what you've been working on as an EU Fellow.

Elections are the moment for voters to hold those who were in power to account. This key feature of democratic governance requires proper information - also in non-election years - on past performance of those that were or are in power. In this context it is important to know, for both constituencies and those elected, which accountability arrangements need to be in place, which are in place and how do they work in practice? What role do public audit and public scrutiny play in this? The aim of my research is to provide a comparative analysis of how oversight is organized by means of public audit tools in a multilevel governance set-up as the U.S. and the EU have. Another objective is to develop an accountability scoreboard that provides overall insights on government reporting and audit review in three distinctive areas of audit and how such information is used in the public scrutiny process to hold those responsible for managing public funds to account. Such a scoreboard can be used and further developed as tool for insight and comparison of accountability information available in different countries. A part of my research consists of interviewing experts at the heart of the accountability process relating to external audits, more particularly external auditors and those involved in the public scrutiny process, i.e. the legislative branch.

How have you leveraged Yale's resources to aid in your research?

Yale offers a wealth of knowledge through its staff, but also through its students, interacting and discussing. From a methodological point of view, I found a Fall course I attended from the Jackson School of Global Affairs relating to comparative politics, taught by Professor Gandhi, very relevant to polish my own research methodology. Furthermore, I banked on some references from Yale professors relating to accountability issues. However, academic discourse on accountability and audit in public policy turned out to be limited, which, in my experience, is not only the case in the U.S. but also in the EU.

What have your relationships and interactions with members of the Yale community looked like?

My interactions have been very interdisciplinary, triggered also by my own interests. For example, during the first semester I attended several human rights workshops, offered by the Yale Law School, having had human rights as a focal point in one of my earlier studies. What is very pleasant is the low barrier contacts with professors and scholars, but also the rich exchanges with students. This is enabled, not only through the lunches organized by the European Studies Council, but also through the many presentations, including by practitioners in government and politics, offered under the MacMillan umbrella, or by the Yale Law School and the Jackson School. Actively participating in these presentations but also giving presentations myself on EU related topics made me feel like a student and expert at the same time.

Give us a highlight or two from your time here at Yale this year.

Being on the spot here at Yale I tried to benefit as much as possible from the great variety of presentations given by people polished by academic and/or practical experience, not the least in (former) government. One event that stands out for me was in November 2024, shortly after the U.S. president elections, the showing of the Oscar winning documentary ‘Navalny’, followed by a Q&A session with key figures in the documentary: Christo Grozev (Bellingcat journalist), Leonid Volkov (Navalny’s chief of staff) and also Anna Biriukova of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Very impressive, triggering for me the purchase of Navalny's impressive book 'Patriot'; and very informative, also from a network point of view, enabling me to meet also people from the Yale World Fellows Programme. Another highlight for me has been following, as 'auditor', some courses which feel very pertinent in the current timeframe of U.S. governance. One course, titled 'Democratic Backsliding', is not only very topical but is also taught by Professor Svolik in a very interactive way, keeping the participants - a very smart and vocal group of students - constantly on their toes what democracy can encompass and what not. With my keen interest in accountable governance, it shows again how much democracy is a prerequisite for that.

How do you plan to utilize the knowledge, resources, and connections you will have acquired at Yale in your future career?

In my function as chief editor at the European Court of Auditors I hope to apply not only the methodological and academic wealth I was exposed to here in my future writing, interviews and editing tasks but also to bank on the network I have obtained of possible contributors for themes important for the European Court of Auditors, be it for its strategy discussions or its publications, including the periodical I am responsible for - the ECA Journal. The challenge is to put academic expertise into practical use and my Yale experience has shown again how important fact-based policy making should and will remain to tackle societal challenges, be it as abstract as preserving and strengthening democracy or concrete as climate change. As solid as the EU may appear sometimes in areas like these, my experiences of the last year show that there is no time for complacency and continuous need to work on what constitutes good administration and governance.

Interviewed by Oliver Wolyniec