Descriptive Representation and Trust in International Organizations

• In Event: The Political Economy of Gender in Globalization Politics

Abstract

What does descriptive representation mean in the context of international organizations (IOs)? And how does descriptive representation affect citizens’ trust in IOs? While past work has investigated the impact of procedural and substantive dimensions on the popular legitimacy of IOs, as well as the role of elite communications, we have limited knowledge of the demands for and effect of descriptive representation in IOs. Theoretically, we build on comparative scholarship on descriptive representation and institutional trust to identify when and how descriptive representation matters for IOs. Using original national surveys in Canada and Denmark, we first explore what characteristics citizens find important with respect to descriptive representation at both domestic and global levels. Second, we argue that individuals may have greater trust in IOs that are descriptively representative when such representation is normalized domestically or when the IO governs a stereotypically “feminine” policy domain (e.g., public health) rather than a “masculine” policy domain (e.g., international trade). We test our argument using a pre-registered factorial experiment that varies the IO policy domain, the gender of IO representatives, and the race of IO representatives. This project advances the study of gender and race in global governance and our understanding of IO legitimacy.

Authors

• Tyler Girard, Purdue University

• Andrea Lawlor, McMaster University