La legitimidad como fuente de riqueza en las instituciones públicas

Abstract

In 2006 the World Bank studied which were the primary engines of nations’ wealth and concluded that it depends to a large extent on the legitimacy of their public institutions. This research explores legitimacy as an intangible good of the public sector, considering legitimacy as a judgment on the actions of organizations according to social values and norms (Suchman, 1995; Deephouse, 1996; Tyler, 2006; Bitektine, 2011). Related to this concept, we address the concepts of online legitimacy and media legitimacy. Four dimensions of legitimacy are studied: procedural, consequential, structural, and personal. The objective of this work is to explore the evolution of the degree of congruence of the judgments of legitimacy that are formulated about a public institution and their leaders, media, and citizens. The selected case study is the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports and its ministers José Ignacio Wert and Iñigo Méndez de Vigo (2011-2015). The methodological design used for the empirical observation is triangular, enabling a quantitative content analysis to contrast the three observation points from a physical and online perspective. The data enable an evaluation of the evolution over time of the congruence between the statements of the person who directs a public organization and their consequences regarding the trust of citizens. The results reveal the aspects of legitimacy that must be considered in communication practices to avoid disconnecting the organization from the media and citizens.