Theoretical Approaches to International Organizations' Legitimacy and Survival

Institutional theory is employed to understand the survival strategies of the UN, specifically how it avoids dissolution or a reduction in its capacity. This perspective highlights the organizational robustness and adaptive mechanisms necessary for an international body's endurance.

Principal-Agent theory is utilized in two contexts: first, to examine the General Assembly's delegation of authority to the Security Council for international peace and security, as seen in the Veto Initiative; and second, to analyze the Security Council's role as principal delegating peacekeeping responsibilities to the African Union, exemplified by AU-led Peace Support Operations.

This approach moves beyond discursive legitimation to focus on behavioral responses and institutional practices as key mechanisms for international organizations to sustain authority. It aims to explain how organizations with limited control, like the General Assembly and Security Council, maintain their legitimacy over time by targeting their actions towards internal audiences, particularly Security Council members.

Inter-organizational relations theory is applied to understand the Security Council's role as a principal, specifically in the context of Resolution 2719 (2023). This resolution facilitates the financing of African Union-led Peace Support Operations through UN-assessed contributions, providing predictable and sustainable funding, thereby illustrating inter-organizational cooperation and delegated authority.