The Rise of International Parliaments
This chapter concludes the book and presents its key findings and takeaways. It reiterates the argument of strategic legitimation in international organizations: that governments establish international parliamentary institutions to pay tribute to global norms of democratic governance and legitimate international organizations that have become both more powerful and contested. It further summarizes the key empirical results of the book and highlights that the rise of international parliaments originates in the combination and interplay of two different constellations and processes: supranational regional integration (combining region-building purpose with high international authority) and international diffusion. The chapter goes on to assess the case study evidence on the legitimacy benefit of ‘recognition’ that international parliamentarization provides to states and their international organizations. Finally, it discusses the implications of the analysis for the study of institutional design, comparative regionalism, and global, cosmopolitan democracy.