Talk from the Top: Leadership and Self-Legitimation in International Organizations

Abstract How do leaders create legitimacy in international organizations (IOs)? It is widely acknowledged that matters to IOs, but little research examines internal self-legitimation—the creation of for staff, rather than external audiences—and who specifically undertakes these self-legitimation activities IOs. This paper fills gaps by examining the particular role and I develop a theoretical framework shows (1) how have unique play as legitimators due their high social status within IO access discursive resources legitimation, (2) through introduction or reintroduction narratives self-referential language, (3) leader-led entails three potential risks. illustrate points with case studies, one from World Bank two United Nations. conclude proposing new agenda this underexplored area scholarship.