What do you mean by legitimacy

Hesli, Vicki L. Reisinger, and Arthur H. Tyler, Tom. Why People Obey the Law. New Haven: Yale University Press. Tyler, Tom R. Jost and Brenda Major eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Weber, Max. Economy and Society. Berkeley: University of California Press. Further Reading Baer, Josette. Assessing the Legitimacy of Secession. Clark, Ian. Legitimacy in International Society. Hechter, Michael. Principles of Group Solidarity. Hurd, Ian. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Independent International Commission on Kosovo. Kosovo Report. Locke, John. The Second Treatise of Government.

Indianapolis: Hackett. Tasioulas, John. The Philosophy of International Law. Zelditch, Morris Jr. Historical Evolution. Theoretical Implications. Practical Applications. Ian Hurd.

Critics question its Western bias and whether there are alternative ways of guaranteeing political participation and inclusion.

The fact is that all legitimacy has a very distinctive genealogy. It is intimately linked to specific cultures, modes of production, particular types of decision-making and law-making processes and wider theories of continuity and change. There is now considerable evidence to suggest that post-colonial states that have emerged from pre-colonial states and have maintained strong and resilient social relationships based on custom and tradition have a much better prospect of being effective and legitimate than those which have not.

States without a pre-colonial history of statehood are much more prone to fragility, because their legitimacy rests on actors and institutions that have their roots in the stateless pre-colonial past rather than with the institutions of newly independent states.

Instead of assuming that traditional and charismatic authority will disappear in modernity, it makes sense to embrace progressive and functional forms of authority in order to capitalise on the social and political benefits of persistent customs and traditions.

Most customary sources of legitimacy are based on norms of trust and reciprocity. The core constitutive values that lie at the heart of traditional legitimacy enable families, kin groups, tribes and communities to exist, satisfy basic human needs and survive through time. These have in many instances been disrupted by rational-legal forms of governance and the contentious liberal peace assumption that modern statebuilding is peacebuilding.

If traditional processes can deliver effective education, welfare, health and food security they should be encouraged since this will enhance overall performance legitimacy and add momentum to deeper process legitimacy — that is, the development of an acceptable rule of law and appropriate accountability mechanisms for politicians and public servants.

Stakeholders in a peace process can enhance legitimacy by taking the time to identify customary values, beliefs and practices that play strong integrative, productive, community building and peacebuilding roles. In these contexts it is often the community that provides the nexus of order, security and basic public goods. People have confidence in their community and its leaders, but low levels of trust in the government and state performance.

The state is perceived as an alien external force, far away not only physically in the capital city , but also psychologically. Individuals are loyal to their group whatever that may be , not the state.

Members of traditional communities are tied into a network of social relations and mutual obligations, and these obligations are understood as being far more meaningful and powerful than those of a citizen.

People do not obey the rules of the state, but the rules of their group. Legitimacy rests with the leaders of that group, not with the state authorities. External donors and actors need to work with the grain of local endogenous cultures, traditions and sources of legitimacy rather than against them.

Legitimacy is grounded when the system of governance and authority flows from and is connected to local realities. A range of different forms or sources of legitimacy may be considered grounded. Thus traditional leadership and rational-legal legitimacy may both be forms of grounded legitimacy, depending on their context.

Legitimacy that depends almost solely on instrumental performance such as around service delivery or economic growth is not grounded legitimacy. For example, an international transitional administration in a post-conflict state may meet a range of performance targets. But because it is disconnected from local peace and development processes legitimacy will not be grounded. A legitimate child is one whose parents are legally married at the time of his or her birth. Her passport seemed legitimate, but on closer inspection , it was found to have been altered.

They complained about excessive government intrusion into their legitimate activities. Legitimate refugees should be treated with compassion. Her complaints were quite legitimate. He has a legitimate claim to the money. You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics: Suitable and acceptable.

Related word legitimately adverb. The government fears that talking to terrorists might legitimate their violent actions. Synonym legitimize formal. Compare decriminalize. LAW allowed by law or done according to the rules of an organization or activity :.

Defense lawyers argued that such payments are legitimate and customary in newspaper deals. Legal Definition of legitimacy. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? Love words?

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