Abstract
AbstractThis article offers the first systematic and comparative analysis of the effects of elite communication on citizen perceptions of the legitimacy of international organizations (IOs). Departing from cueing theory, it develops novel hypotheses about the effects of elite communication under the specific conditions of global governance. It tests these hypotheses by conducting a population-based survey experiment among almost 10,000 residents of three countries in relation to five IOs. The evidence suggests four principal findings. First, communication by national governments and civil society organizations has stronger effects on legitimacy perceptions than communication by IOs themselves. Secondly, elite communication affects legitimacy perceptions irrespective of whether it invokes IOs’ procedures or performance as grounds for criticism or endorsement. Thirdly, negative messages are more effective than positive messages in shaping citizens' legitimacy perceptions. Fourthly, comparing across IOs indicates that elite communication is more often effective in relation to the IMF, NAFTA and WTO, than the EU and UN.
Highlights
Elite communication about the strengths and weaknesses of international organizations (IOs) is a common feature of global politics
It is important to establish whether elite communication affects the popular legitimacy of IOs, since this legitimacy appears to be central to IOs at consecutive stages of the policy process for four reasons (Sommerer and Agné 2018)
We have evaluated the conditions under which elite communication affects the popular legitimacy of IOs
Summary
Elite communication about the strengths and weaknesses of international organizations (IOs) is a common feature of global politics. A growing literature explores the legitimation and delegitimation of IOs by national and international elites (Binder and Heupel 2015; Dingwerth et al 2019; Morse and Keohane 2014; Tallberg and Zürn 2019; Zaum 2013). This literature primarily maps and explains patterns in the contestation around IOs, without assessing its consequences. Poor legitimacy among domestic constituencies poses a well-known constraint, for instance, on the negotiation of new trade rules within the World Trade Organization (WTO)
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