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The Downward Spiral of Legitimacy Erosion: Lessons on Network Governance Failure During the German "Refugee Crisis".

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Title: The Downward Spiral of Legitimacy Erosion: Lessons on Network Governance Failure During the German "Refugee Crisis".
Authors: Seidemann, Iris1 (AUTHOR) iris.seidemann@uni‐hamburg.de, Weißmüller, Kristina S.2 (AUTHOR), Geiger, Daniel1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Public Administration Review. Mar/Apr2026, Vol. 86 Issue 2, p397-413. 17p.
Subject Terms: *Crisis management, Organizational legitimacy, Network governance, Refugees, Public administration
Abstract: Organizational legitimacy is essential for effective crisis governance. This study analyzes the rapid erosion of legitimacy faced by the German State Office for Health and Social Affairs (LAGeSo) during the 2015 refugee crisis, triggering cascading failures in public service delivery. Analyzing news articles and press statements, the study traces stakeholders' interactions with the LAGeSo, reconstructing key events and reactions to identify critical public governance failures. The findings show that a lack of network governance and anticipatory leadership contributed to a self‐reinforcing process of legitimacy erosion, which culminated in organizational collapse. The case demonstrates that public sector crisis management requires more than technical responses; it demands strategic awareness of legitimacy dynamics and strong leadership in network governance. Adopting a legitimacy‐as‐process perspective, the study provides novel conceptual and practical insights for improving public crisis governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Public Administration Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: The Downward Spiral of Legitimacy Erosion: Lessons on Network Governance Failure During the German "Refugee Crisis".
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Public+Administration+Review%22">Public Administration Review</searchLink>. Mar/Apr2026, Vol. 86 Issue 2, p397-413. 17p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Crisis+management%22">Crisis management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+legitimacy%22">Organizational legitimacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Network+governance%22">Network governance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Refugees%22">Refugees</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+administration%22">Public administration</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Organizational legitimacy is essential for effective crisis governance. This study analyzes the rapid erosion of legitimacy faced by the German State Office for Health and Social Affairs (LAGeSo) during the 2015 refugee crisis, triggering cascading failures in public service delivery. Analyzing news articles and press statements, the study traces stakeholders' interactions with the LAGeSo, reconstructing key events and reactions to identify critical public governance failures. The findings show that a lack of network governance and anticipatory leadership contributed to a self‐reinforcing process of legitimacy erosion, which culminated in organizational collapse. The case demonstrates that public sector crisis management requires more than technical responses; it demands strategic awareness of legitimacy dynamics and strong leadership in network governance. Adopting a legitimacy‐as‐process perspective, the study provides novel conceptual and practical insights for improving public crisis governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Public Administration Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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              Text: Mar/Apr2026
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