Participatory Governance and Institutional Legitimacy in European University Alliances

European University Alliances (EUAs) are increasingly emerging as collective actors within the European higher-education policy landscape. Drawing on meta-organization theory, this article conceptualizes EUAs as sectoral interest groups whose legitimacy depends not only on institutional coordination but also on participatory governance. Focusing on student co-creation practices, the study argues that structured participation functions as a strategic governance resource that enhances internal cohesion and external representational credibility. Empirical illustrations from EUGLOH demonstrate how student-led initiatives institutionalize distributed authority and contribute to alliance-level legitimacy formation. The article concludes that the consolidation of EUAs as policy-relevant actors requires the systematic embedding of participatory co-governance within alliance structures.