Creating legitimacy for cultured meat in Germany: The role of social cohesion

Abstract

Few studies on legitimation of new technologies were able to provide insights into the longitudinal changes in legitimacy outcomes and the social dynamics that underpin such outcomes. Using a novel mixed-methods approach, combining Natural Language Processing with a qualitative text analysis, and drawing on the concept of social cohesion to investigate the social relations among actors, the study offers new insights into the legitimation of cultured meat in Germany. Using 424 newspaper articles, we identify four topics in the public discourse related to cultured meat and positive average sentiment on each topic over the period 2011–2021. Furthermore, we find the actors, groups, and social relations that shape the observed legitimacy outcomes. The empirical findings are used to develop propositions about the role of social cohesion in legitimacy creation. The study paves the way for future studies on social cohesion dynamics in socio-technical change.