Political Legitimacy

Political legitimacy is what grants those in power the general consent required to govern. It encompasses the belief among a governed population that governance is proper, correct, and right. Legitimate governing actors are treated by those they govern as justifiably holding authority and exercising political power. Political legitimacy thus often provides an obligation to comply with the commands of authority. Deficient political legitimacy conversely implies a reduced obligation to comply with the commands of authority. This entry will discuss empirical versus normative political legitimacy and transparency, accountability, representation, participation, lawfulness, fairness, effectiveness, and appropriateness in governance.

Political legitimacy deals with the qualities of governing actors and their relationships to those they govern. Governing actors and those they govern can be both individuals, states, or organizations. Government, institutions, and officials are often the governing actors. The organizations and citizens subject to their authority are the governed. States can also be the governed within global governance, where intergovernmental or supranational organizations are the governing actors.

Political legitimacy also applies beyond the relationship between governing actors and the governed. We can examine the legitimacy of decision-making procedures, policies and laws, political systems, social orders, or organizational structures. Political legitimacy is a quality or characteristic that arises from how these aspects of governance are configured or practiced.

Political legitimacy is closely related to the idea of authority, but the two terms are not synonymous. Authority is the power to make decisions, issue commands, and perform actions that affect the governed. It also refers to agencies or administrative units of government. It is possible for authority, in either sense of the word, to lack political legitimacy.