Does Racial and Gender Representation Enhance Institutional Legitimacy?

• In Event: Race and Gender in International Relations

Abstract

In recent decades, many studies have tested and shown empirically how descriptive racial and gender representation has improved institutional legitimacy in a number of American institutions ranging from the courts to law enforcement. Despite the growing importance of race and gender on legitimacy, few studies have investigated this issue among international organizations. Our study takes a first step by investigating whether greater racial and gender representation increases the legitimacy for the United Nations. We test this relationship through a hypothetical refugee survey experiment on a nationally representative sample of 2,600 U.S. citizens. First, we find that greater gender and racial representation legitimatizes all decisions, particularly, those outcomes that are negative to the United States. We show that this relationship exists because institutions with greater racial and gender diversity confer more trust and acceptance for the United Nations among Americans. These findings add new insights into how and when inclusive representation increases perceptions of institutional legitimacy.

Authors

• Wilfred Ming Chow, University of Hong Kong

• Enze Han, The University of Hong Kong