The Legitimacy of the G8 and the G20

While the role of the rising powers for the transformation of the international order has become a subject of considerable scrutiny, their view on the legitimacy of international institutions does not seem to have been the subject of detailed study yet. Against this background, this paper examines dynamics of legitimation in the international order, putting the spotlight on rising powers. To what extent and on which basis are the rising powers challenging the legitimacy of the existing global order? Making use of political valuation analysis, the paper assesses the Group of Eight (G8) and the Group of 20 (G20) summit regimes, which have arguably become a major player in the field of global governance. The paper examines how legitimate the G8 and the G20 are perceived to be and which (de-)legitimatization criteria are used by old powers and the rising powers with a view to these summit regimes. It assesses how the perceived legitimacy varies across these two settings and how it varies over time. The comparative study is based on the content analysis of legitimacy-related communication from 2008 until 2012 in eight newspapers from old powers and from rising powers.