Local perceptions, regional action: on sources of public legitimacy for African regional organizations’ democracy promotion mechanisms

With increasing signs of democratic backsliding globally, we examine what shapes support for democracy promotion mechanisms by regional organizations among African publics, and most importantly, how this support can be enhanced. We examine the sources of public legitimacy for democracy promotion mechanisms by exploring two explanations: first, the public's perception of the usefulness to the national interest of the regional organization directly responsible for enforcing these mechanisms, and second, the public's preference for democracy at home. Analysing 34 countries, we find that support rises with perceived usefulness of the responsible organization and with a normative preference for democracy. Because these organizations operate at elite levels removed from the public, publics appear to evaluate them through tangible, often economic, outputs. In this study, we argue and show that these perceptions constitute a social precondition underlying the legitimacy of democracy-promotion instruments. Consequently, we argue that to bolster the legitimacy of democracy promotion mechanisms, African regional organizations must take their economic agendas seriously.