Making ordinary policies through an extraordinary governance instrument: Legitimation dynamics and the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan

By conceptualizing the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) as a socio- technical governance instrument, we examine how its social and technical components collectively provide diverse legitimacy forms. We analyze four legitimation dynamics: i) demonstrative, based on evidence and technical knowledge; ii) functional, endorsed by prestigious authorities; iii) representative, validated by stakeholders’ values and interests; and iv) allusive, based on symbolic evocation and emotional identification. Our findings show that the NRRP’s legitimacy mix includes demonstrative, functional, and allusive legitimacies, while representative legitimacy is marginal. This study enhances our understanding of crises in policy-making and the intricate relationship between socio-technical governance and legitimation dynamics