The path of least resistance: why international institutions maintain dialogue forums

Abstract

Abstract Dialogue forums have been mushrooming in international economic institutions as a strategy to enhance their legitimacy. Promoted as deliberative spaces allowing for an open, direct exchange with civil society actors, forums have since been criticized as mere talking shops or public relations events. The article analyses why the forums are still maintained despite widespread criticism, with a particular focus on audiences, legitimation agents and the organizational field as sources and driving forces of legitimation strategies. Our findings on the Civil Society Policy Forum, organized by the IMF and the World Bank, and the Civil 20, one of the G20 engagement groups, highlight strong interactive effects between these sources: civil society actors have been pressing for the maintenance of forums as deliberative spaces. Additional pressure on institutions arise from the organizational field, with the inclusion of non-state actors increasingly becoming a norm. International economic institutions react strategically to these external demands by choosing the path of least resistance: maintaining dialogue forums helps showcasing their openness without granting much influence to civil society actors.