Cyberspace and the protection of critical national infrastructure

Abstract

Protecting critical infrastructure against cyber-attacks is a policy challenge arising from the disruptive potential of emerging digital technologies. Governments face difficult choices since cybersecurity is a public responsibility, but often a private task: Should they design their capacities hierarchically or rely on collaboration with private firms? We argue that choices depend on the institutional setting and the nature of the challenge. Our comparison of state-capitalist France with the market-capitalist United Kingdom corroborates our expectations that the former controls intermediaries more hierarchically and that both governments adopt a more assertive role when safeguarding against threats than when managing risks.