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Legitimacy in Autocracies: Oxymoron or Essential Feature?
[journal article]
Abstract Legitimacy is a key concept in political science. It has deep normative roots in democratic theory and refers usually to righteous, just, fair, and therefore acceptable rule. However, non-democracies also try to create a following among their citizens. They also engage in justifying their rule throu... view more
Legitimacy is a key concept in political science. It has deep normative roots in democratic theory and refers usually to righteous, just, fair, and therefore acceptable rule. However, non-democracies also try to create a following among their citizens. They also engage in justifying their rule through politicization, be it of religion, ethnicity, or ideologies ranging from left-wing communism to right-wing nationalism. Against this backdrop, I pose the question: does it make sense to use the concept of legitimacy for both types of regimes, democracies and autocracies alike? Or, do we overstretch the concept when transplanting it to the non-democratic realm? And, empirically, how can we assess to what degree a non-democracy is viewed as legitimate by its citizens? I aim therefore at defining what legitimacy and legitimation is in autocratic settings; drawing a semantic map of rival concepts like support, trust, and loyalty; and tackling concrete challenges in measuring this elusive concept.... view less
Keywords
dictatorship; political system; authoritarian system; legitimacy
Classification
Political System, Constitution, Government
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
authoritarianism; concept-building
Document language
English
Publication Year
2018
Page/Pages
p. 652-665
Journal
Perspectives on Politics, 16 (2018) 3
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/10419/218835
ISSN
1541-0986
Status
Postprint; peer reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications