Citizens' perceptions of the legitimacy of independent agencies: The effects of expertise‐based and reputation‐sourced authority
Open accessAbstract
Legitimacy is a central concern for independent agencies tasked with shaping policies. While expertise‐based and reputation‐sourced authority bases are assumed to be relevant for agency legitimacy, their individual and joint effects on citizens' perceptions lack comprehensive examination. To address this gap, the study integrates insights from bureaucratic politics, bureaucratic reputation, and cognitive psychology. Our survey experiment with Dutch citizens, focusing on the European Food Safety Authority, suggests that expertise‐based authority positively affects perceived agency legitimacy, while a negative reputation has detrimental effects. Furthermore, expertise‐based authority moderates the impact of reputation, amplifying positive effects and mitigating negative ones. This implies that agencies are more susceptible to reputational threats when they lack expertise‐based authority. The study advances the theoretical tenets of bureaucratic reputation theory and offers effective strategies for agencies to strengthen their legitimacy among the most critical audience in democratic political systems—citizens.
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- Authors
- Rimkutė, D., & Mazepus, H.
- Affiliations
- Leiden University (NL)
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Rimkutė, Dovilė
- Venue
- Public Administration Review
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2025-01-02
- Volume
- 85
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1495-1511
- ISSN
- 0033-3352 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-6210
- OpenAlex
- W4406039459
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 82
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 10
- FWCI
- 32.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Public Administration Review (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Universiteit Leiden
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (VI.Veni.191R.078)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Administrative Law and Governance
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Regulation and Compliance Studies
- Keywords
- independent agencies, bureaucratic reputation, citizen perceptions, EFSA, bureaucratic politics, regulatory agencies, public trust
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