Legitimacy questions and answers

Big Book review and make notes:


p.50-54

Legitimacy means people accept the state's right to rule over them. 

Having legitimacy means gov. can overcome periods of dissatisfaction as members believe those in power are competent to fix the issues, or if democracy, the citizens will do that. There is likely to be disorder and conflict without it, why states aim to create structure and orderliness.

Core elements:

  • citizens believe the state has a right to rule
    • make up the majority of people
  • Legitimacy beliefs have origins in societal values
    • some argue legitimacy comes from reflection of a society's value
    • others argue it comes from functioning institutions (eg free and fair elections, good education, healthcare, etc.)
  • Legitimacy determine how people behave towards the state
    • Having legitimacy means citizens are more likely to defer power to the state as its considered fair
    • it brings stability and order in behavior
  • Legitimation is a continuous process
    • can be done through media, infrastructure projects, decreases in taxation and social services,

Sources of legitimacy – not hard and set, can intersect:

  • history and tradition
    • like monarchies
  • ideology
  • Growth and Development
    • people usually equate economic success with competent leadership
    • long term planning and concern – law enforcement, judicial proceedings, infrastructure, education and health care, etc
  • Leadership, international recognition and identity
    • can be done by cooperating with other states
    • even refusing to cooperate can add to internal legitimacy “refusing to be pushed around” rhetoric
  • Freedom and fairness
    • accountability and transparency
  • Order and stability

Rule of law: everyone is under subject to the law. No one can ignore it without consequence. A system that doesn't uphold the rule of law will likely be unpredictable and unjust, eroding legitimacy and a challenge to those in power ignoring the law.

Input legitimacy: how the state acquires power – perceived fairness of electoral systems

Output legitimacy: how well the state exercises power – everyday well being, security, justice, OR protecting the identity / standards of a major religion. As long as the state delivers its expectations and performs well

p.55 top down bottom up legitimacy

Top-down: authority & legitimacy originate from a central authority and flow TOWARDS population.=, rather than the majority. Associated with hierarchies or centralized systems (monarchs, religious figures, single leader, etc)

  • Keep control through:
    • flow of information
    • suppression of dissent
    • creation of legal structures to concentrate power
  • fewer bureaucratic barriers
  • Belief they would be worse off in another system
    • resignation to alternatives
  • Example: Saudi Arabia
    • Monarch seen as a guardian of Islamic tradition
    • swift decisions and maintained social order, limited public participation

Bottom-Up:

Originates from participation in the broader population. 

  • Found in democratic systems. Participation shows up as referendums, elections, open forums, etc.
  • Tends to be more responsive to social needs, as legitimacy is dependent on the needs of the public.
  • Risk of ‘tyranny of the majority’ where dominant groups overshadow the will of minority interests.
  • Example: New Zealand
    • legitimacy rooted in Democratic process with regular, free, and fair elections

Part of citizen agreement comes from obeying decisions – otherwise they face consequences (established by the state)

p.56 coercive power as legitimacy.

One perspective says actors are only legitimate if it can reasonably justify its coercive power. This can be thought of in 2 ways:

  • the system in place is seen as legitimate. Those in power can point to the legitimacy of the system → justification to create laws that coerce the population
  • The authorities that create laws / instruction must convince the population that the created requirements are reasonable

Another view is that as long as members obey, they are legitimate.

Phillip Pettit suggests neither legitimate systems or obediance is enough, but only is legitimate if it imposes social order promoting freedom and ‘non-denomination’ for all citizen.

 

Legitimation processes:

Representative democracy:

Citizens elect representatives to make decisions. 

Periodic elections ensure accountability since reps can be voted out

Main types are presidential and parliamentary systems

  • presidential: executive and legislative branch are separate
    • president is head of state and gov. (US and Brazil)
  • parliamentary: executive is accountable to the legislature
    • usually called PM, is member of the party with majority in the legislature
    • head of state may be a monarch (UK or Canada) or president (India)

Citizens' assemblies:

citizens brought together to discuss and recommend specific political / social issues. Reflect a population sample through random selection or stratified sampling

Usually used as an assistive measure, like in Spain to discuss city planning and urban issues

58 review case study

Legitimacy indices: can use political participation, civil liberties, functioning of gov. to come to the rankings

  • Democracy Index
    • 5 categories:
      • electoral process and pluralism
      • civil liberties
      • functioning of gov.
      • political participation
      • political culture
    • Classified into full or flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes
  • Freedom in the World Report
    • assess political rights & civil liberties
    • from free to partly free to not free
  • Varieties of Democracy or V-Dem
    •  5 principles of democracy
      • electoral
      • liberal
      • participatory
      • deliberative
      • egalitarian measures

p.59 challenges to state legitimacy

  • International Recognition
    • the lack of recognition can delegitimize a state
    • impacts trade and participation in IGOs
  • Economic / Diplomatic sanctions
    • erode by highlighting Human Rights violations, military actions, etc.
    • Can cause economic hardship
  • Transnational Crime
    • drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms smuggling
    • can erode especially when state actors are implicated or the state appears powerless to prevent it
  • Global media and info
    • Human rights abuses can be highlighted with an interconnected world
    • NGOs and activists can challenge legitimacy to campaign against abuse or corruption
  • Comparative governance and legal rulings
    • whether citizens compare their state unfavorably to others can erode legitimacy
    • rulings against a state by ICJ or ICC for example

p.60: Legitimacy of non-state actors

Causes of legitimacy in non-state actors:

  • Movements or insurgencies
    • local support is essential – shared ideologies, griviences against a common enemy, providing goods and services
  • Effective governance
    • if the state has limited abilities, non-state actors can establish a form of governance and hence legitimacy to maintain order. Can be through offering services like health care, education, or welfare, that a state fails to provide
  • NGOs
    • can derive legitimacy from perceived moral high ground and ethical stance
      • Can further gain if transparent and take accountability towards decision making
    • can also achieve by collaborating with other non-state actors – partnering with the UN for example or receive funding from well-recognized actors
    • gain legitimacy if can effectively achieve stated objectives – humanitarian, advocacy
  • Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
    • economic strength is significant for their legitimacy – particularly for regions relying on foreign investment and jobs

Legitimacy depends on who is perceiving it. Non-state actors are in a complex plane, so legitimacy can change in various forms.

comparison activity p.59

Select two different types of countries and examine their rankings according to two of the 
legitimacy indices we have discussed. Explain what you think are the reasons behind the rankings 
and how each state’s ranking reflects its legitimacy. 

Finland: https://freedomhouse.org/country/finland

Finland is ranked to be free, having a score of 100/100 by Freedom House's 'Freedom in the World Report', having multiple parties actively in competition. Civil liberties are respected and an effective constitution in place. Women and ethnic minorities are able to have a voice with political rights. Having both civil and political rights protected greatly benefit this state's legitimacy

Somalia: https://freedomhouse.org/country/somalia

Somalia is ranked as being not free with a score of 8/100. The government being an authoritarian regime that doesn't have elections hinders the political rights score. Human rights are abused regularly by both the state and nonstate actors, and separatist movements are in opposition to the standing government. Without rule of law and protections to civil and political rights under an authoritarian regime, the legitimacy is drastically reduced to most other states.

answer and submit all review questions on p.60
 

 What is state legitimacy, and why is it important for the stability and functioning of a state? 
State legitimacy is the acceptance people have of a particular government to rule. Since citizens will be of great numbers in the state, it is important that they are satisfied with the power over them, as a lack of legitimacy could lead to disorder and conflict.


Summarize Max Weber's three main sources of legitimacy. How do these sources contribute to a state's perceived right to govern? 

Max Weber's 3 main sources of legitimacy are Traditional, Charismatic, and Rational. A traditional source finds a state earning legitimacy by aiming to maintain a status quo. Charismatic sources of legitimacy get the support to govern with the faith people have in them. Rational sources of legitimacy keeps the trust of citizens in the effective running of institutions, where leaders must follow the rule of law. 


What are some external factors that can challenge or erode the legitimacy of a state? 

  • International Recognition: Whether state leaders are truly seen as legitimate
  • Economic and Diplomatic sanctions: highlight the issues (Human Rights violations, military conflict, etc.) within a state
  • Transnational crime: if the state is involved or appears powerless to stop crimes it can erode legitimacy
  • Global media and information: independent media, NGOs, and activists can highlight abuse or corruption within a state
  • Comparative governance and legal rulings: citizens can compare the efficacy of their state to others, alongside rulings against the state can impact their legitimacy   


How do non-state actors, such as insurgencies, NGOs and multinational corporations, establish and maintain their legitimacy? 

These non-state actors typically gain themselves legitimacy by filling in a void that the government of a state cannot effectively provide, and further delivering on those expectations. Insurgencies rely on a common desire for a population, whether through ideology or in grievance, or to gain goods or services. NGOs with respected social values establish their legitimacy, and appearing truthful and accountable maintains legitimacy. MNCs fill in economic needs within a state by providing needed economic movement and jobs to a region, cementing their legitimacy within a region.