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Do political and social accountability arrangements increase citizens’ legitimacy perceptions? A vignette experiment in the Netherlands

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates the effects of social and political accountability arrangements on citizens’ legitimacy perceptions. Accountability arrangements are often suggested to improve the perceived legitimacy of governmental organizations. Based upon a pre-registered vignette experiment with a representative sample of N = 1574 citizens from the Netherlands, we show that social accountability (accountability to citizens) increases legitimacy perceptions, but that political accountability (accountability to politicians) does not affect legitimacy perceptions. These patterns are highly similar for both decision winners and losers, with accountability slightly more important for losers. This has important implications for our understanding of the impact of accountability for perceived legitimacy.

Source: Public Management Review

DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2024.2337843

Authors: Lars Brummel, Lisanne de Blok

Institutions: Leiden University, Utrecht University

Language: English

Topic: Public Policy and Administration Research

Subfield: Public Administration

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek