The purpose of this research program is to offer the first systematic and comprehensive analysis of legitimacy in global governance. To what extent are global governance institutions (GGIs) regarded as legitimate? What explains that legitimacy? By what processes are GGIs legitimated and delegitimated? What are the consequences of legitimacy (or its absence) for the functioning of GGIs? How are these legitimacy dynamics in global governance similar to or different from the dynamics of legitimacy in the nation-state and other forms of governance?

While legitimacy in global governance has generated growing interest in recent years, it has not yet been researched methodically by a coordinated team of specialists. We address the overarching question of why, how, and with what consequences GGIs gain, sustain and lose legitimacy by exploring three principal themes: (1) sources of legitimacy, (2) legitimation and delegitimation strategies, and (3) consequences of legitimacy. In the broadest sense, the program considers what systematic attention to legitimacy can tell us about world politics, and what experiences from world politics suggest for understanding legitimacy in contemporary politics generally.

LegGov Elite Survey

The research program has interviewed 860 people in leading positions in political and societal organizations all over the world.

With this project we wanted to discover how far elites are ready and willing to support regulatory arrangements at a global level, in order to tackle pressing global policy challenges. The survey is now complete, and we offer a report of first results below.

Elite attitudes toward global governance – A report of summary findings from the LegGov Elite Survey pdf, 2.6 MB. (2658 Kb)

LegGov Elite Survey – Technical report pdf, 1.3 MB. (1349 Kb)