Government Actions Influencing Legitimacy (DP IB Global Politics: HL): Revision Note

How states and governments gain legitimacy

• Legitimacy refers to the extent to which a state or government is accepted as rightful and deserving of authority by its population and the international community

• States and governments gain legitimacy in a number of ways, and the extent of their legitimacy often depends on how successfully they meet these criteria:

  • Maintaining order and stability – governments are expected to provide security and prevent conflict or disorder

  • Economic, political and social development – improving living standards, rights and opportunities for citizens

  • Sustained development – ensuring long-term growth and stability rather than short-term success

  • Free and fair elections – allowing citizens to choose their leaders through transparent and competitive processes

  • Representation and consent – ensuring that governments reflect the will of the people and act with their approval

  • Quality of governance – providing effective public services, upholding the rule of law and protecting rights

  • International recognition – being accepted as a legitimate state by other states and global organisations

• The relative importance of these factors varies between states. In some systems, legitimacy is primarily based on democratic participation, while in others it may rely more on economic performance or stability.

Quality of governance and development

• Citizens expect their governments to provide and maintain services that provide them with a good quality of life

• 'Good' can mean different things to different people but generally it includes

  • Effective and accessible educational institutions

  • Low crime

  • Economic development

  • Access to health care 

  • Decent housing

  • Clean water 

  • Fair police and judicial systems

  • Reliable public transportation

  • Safe and well-maintained public spaces such as parks, library and museums 

• The legitimacy of a government that is unable or unwilling to provide or maintain a good quality of life for citizens usually lacks legitimacy

  • In democracies people can protest, and their governments can be voted out

  • In single-party states, citizens can rarely openly voice their views on the legitimacy of the government

Citizen participation and consent

• Within democracies, citizens are supposed to be involved in decisions made by governments

• Citizen participation in government differs between states and in different situations

• By having a say in government decision-making, citizens are more likely to approve of them and view the government as legitimate

• In states where there is a lack of transparency in decision-making, citizens may not accept policies and the legitimacy of the government could be questioned

• Ultimately no state could function if citizens had to be involved in every decision 

  • Although some citizen participation may strengthen legitimacy, it does not guarantee it

International recognition

• Some places consider themselves to be states but are not universally recognised by other states and non-state actors

• Membership of intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) can indicate whether a state has global recognition and legitimacy

• The quality of governance can impact global recognition and diminish legitimacy in the eyes of some actors

  • Legitimacy in global politics is not always universally agreed

    • Different actors may view the legitimacy of a state in different ways