Citizens' perceptions of the legitimacy of independent agencies: The effects of expertise‐based and reputation‐sourced authority
通过针对荷兰公民的问卷实验，研究独立机构的专业知识权威和声誉对公民感知合法性的影响，发现专业知识提升合法性，负面声誉损害合法性，且专业知识能缓冲声誉的负面影响。
Abstract 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.