Beyond dyads: an ecosystem approach to third-sector legitimacy in public services
研究了第三部门组织在公共服务中的合法性如何通过宏观、中观、微观层面的行动者和制度相互依赖而涌现，识别出制度翻译、领导协调和时间重构三种机制，对理解公共服务生态系统中的协调与参与有启发。
Third-sector organizations (TSOs) play an increasing role in public service provision, yet their legitimacy remains underexplored beyond dyadic and organization-centric accounts. This paper develops an ecosystem-based explanation by integrating legitimacy theory with the Public Service Ecosystem (PSE) framework. Drawing on a qualitative multi-case study of four TSOs delivering children’s services in Scotland, the findings show that legitimacy emerges through interdependencies among actors and institutions across macro, meso, and micro levels. Three mechanisms are identified: institutional translation, leadership coordination, and temporal reconfiguration. The study conceptualizes legitimacy as an emergent, cross-level process and a central dynamic shaping coordination and participation within PSEs.