Faculty member of our department Prof. Emel Parlar Dal and Mert N. Matsumoto have published their article titled “Assessing Legitimacy of Informal Intergovernmental Organizations in the Context of Changing Multilateralism” in International Affairs.

In this study, Prof. Emel Parlar Dal and Mert N. Matsumoto seek to contribute to the literature by examining the legitimacy of Informal Intergovernmental Organizations (IIGOs) based on six fundamental criteria. The research aims to assess the impact of 94 active IIGOs across various issue areas.

The primary objective of the study is to determine whether IIGOs exhibit high, moderate, or low levels of legitimacy according to the specified legitimacy criteria. While IIGOs are generally perceived as not requiring strong bureaucratic mechanisms due to their flexible and informal nature, the findings reveal that more than 40% of the assessed IIGOs demonstrate a high degree of institutionalization. Additionally, the study highlights that well-established bureaucratic structures positively influence legitimacy scores. The research underscores the necessity of both sociological and normative legitimacy for an IIGO to achieve a high level of overall legitimacy.

To access the article, please click here.