The article explores the issue of G20 legitimacy, its role in facilitating G20 effectiveness and possible ways of improving G20 effectiveness in the deficiency of legitimacy.

At the current stage, the legitimacy of the G20 as a multilateral institution is not topical issue. It is evident that the states representing a major share of world GDP and international financial transactions are expected and even obliged to undertake all available steps to ensure sustainable growth of the world economy, finance and trade. The G20 members act both in their national interests and common interest of a wider global community. Thus, the author perceives the G20 as a legitimate multilateral forum. However, in the future the problem of legitimacy might come to the forefront of the institution’s agenda, coupled with the issues of its efficiency and possible reformation. This process can be spurred by potential effect of the G20 work on the countries, which are currently excluded from the forum.

The author suggests that the inevitable legitimacy problems must be analyzed timely and adequately to avoid future crises and catastrophic shocks, at the same time warning against excessive bureaucratization of the G20 as it may eventually decrease the institution’s efficiency.

The publication was prepared within the framework of a joint project of Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) Project and International Organizations Research Institute of the HSE "Enhancing Effectiveness of Russia’s Participation in G8, G20