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From Judgment to Action: Toward a Behavioral Perspective on Legitimacy

From Judgment to Action: Toward a Behavioral Perspective on Legitimacy

by Adrianna Jezierska | Apr 15, 2026 | Publication

Authors : Moritz Gruban, Matthieu Légeret, Patrick Haack Our study tests a core assumption in legitimacy research: that evaluators’ legitimacy judgements translate into corresponding behaviour. To examine the alignment between legitimacy judgements and actions, we...
Microlevel Judgments of Organizational Legitimacy: How Validity Cues and Categorical Fit Shape Evaluators’ Propriety Beliefs

Microlevel Judgments of Organizational Legitimacy: How Validity Cues and Categorical Fit Shape Evaluators’ Propriety Beliefs

by Pauline Alessandra | Apr 15, 2026 | Publication

by Thaler, J., Sievert, M., Siraz, S. S., & Pinz, A.  Journal of Management Studies. Summary In their 2026 article published in the Journal of Management Studies, Julia Thaler, Martin Sievert, Sonia Siraz, and Alexander Pinz make an important contribution to...
The Downward Spiral of Legitimacy Erosion: Lessons on Network Governance Failure During the German “Refugee Crisis”

The Downward Spiral of Legitimacy Erosion: Lessons on Network Governance Failure During the German “Refugee Crisis”

by Pauline Alessandra | Feb 12, 2026 | Publication

Seidemann, I., Weißmüller, K. S., & Geiger, D. The Downward Spiral of Legitimacy Erosion: Lessons on Network Governance Failure During the German “Refugee Crisis”. Public Administration Review.  Summary In their 2025 article published in Public Administration...
Contending with Perceived Legitimacy Tensions: Impact Investing in Pluralistic Institutional Environments

Contending with Perceived Legitimacy Tensions: Impact Investing in Pluralistic Institutional Environments

by Pauline Alessandra | Feb 12, 2026 | Publication

Our study examines how entrepreneurs in India, Kenya, and Mexico navigate the challenge of seeking funding from Western impact investors while maintaining legitimacy within their local communities. Prior research has focused largely on investors’ perspectives,...
Legitimacy Tests: Theorizing legitimacy as justification work

Legitimacy Tests: Theorizing legitimacy as justification work

by Pauline Alessandra | Dec 15, 2025 | Publication

Legitimacy tests – moments when an organization’s activities are critically questioned by evaluating audiences – are a frequent occurrence in today’s complex societies. In our paper, “Legitimacy tests: Theorizing legitimacy as justification work,” we...
How do religious institutions legitimate digital media –  and what can we learn for legitimacy research?

How do religious institutions legitimate digital media – and what can we learn for legitimacy research?

by Pauline Alessandra | Dec 15, 2025 | Publication

Digitalization reshapes even the most tradition-bound institutions. This study by Jan Danko, Oren Golan, and Katja Rost explores how religious institutions legitimate the use of digital media. It examines Benedictine monasteries – reclusive communities of religious...
EGOS 2025: Positive and Negative Social Evaluations: Two Sides of the Same Coin, Two Peas in a Pod, Apples, and Oranges…?

EGOS 2025: Positive and Negative Social Evaluations: Two Sides of the Same Coin, Two Peas in a Pod, Apples, and Oranges…?

by Adrianna Jezierska | Oct 6, 2025 | Publication

At the 2025 EGOS Conference in Athens, the Social Evaluations sub-theme gathered scholars to advance a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances that shape how we judge individuals, organizations, and institutions. A recurring theme in the field is its...
New paper in the Academy of Management Review: A Functional View of Social Judgments

New paper in the Academy of Management Review: A Functional View of Social Judgments

by Blog editor | Jun 27, 2025 | Publication

In this article, Bitektine, Gillespie, and Lange shift the focus of social evaluation research by asking not what social judgments do for organizations, but what they do for the evaluators who make them. The authors propose a functional perspective, arguing that...
Legitimacy by Association: Why Partner Choice Matters in Public–Private Partnerships

Legitimacy by Association: Why Partner Choice Matters in Public–Private Partnerships

by Blog editor | Jun 25, 2025 | Publication

Why do public organizations sometimes lose citizen approval even when their cross-sector collaborations run smoothly? This new study shows it can all hinge on who they team up with. Using two preregistered experiments in Germany (n = 2510), the article shows that a...
Moral Legitimacy Judgments: Why Do Motives Matter?

Moral Legitimacy Judgments: Why Do Motives Matter?

by Blog editor | Mar 28, 2025 | Publication

Why do some companies gain moral legitimacy while others face public backlash—despite delivering the same positive outcomes? The study reveals that it’s not just what organizations achieve that matters, but why they do it. When outcomes are driven by prosocial...
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Recent Posts

  • From Judgment to Action: Toward a Behavioral Perspective on Legitimacy
  • Microlevel Judgments of Organizational Legitimacy: How Validity Cues and Categorical Fit Shape Evaluators’ Propriety Beliefs
  • The Downward Spiral of Legitimacy Erosion: Lessons on Network Governance Failure During the German “Refugee Crisis”
  • Contending with Perceived Legitimacy Tensions: Impact Investing in Pluralistic Institutional Environments
  • Legitimacy Tests: Theorizing legitimacy as justification work
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