State & Government Legitimacy (DP IB Global Politics: SL): Revision Note

State legitimacy and government legitimacy

• Legitimacy refers to an actor or an action being commonly considered acceptable

• The big question when assessing legitimacy should be, legitimate to whom?

  • There is likely to be different opinions and perspectives on whether an actor is acceptable

• Many states around the world are immediately recognised by people who may not have any understanding of its government system

  • This is because the state and the government in charge of that state are not the same thing

• State legitimacy is more stable and permanent than government legitimacy

  • We think of states as almost permanent places with distinct borders and a long history

  • Governments come and go

  • It is a global norm that democracy is the most legitimate form of government because it allows citizens to demonstrate their acceptance or rejection of the government

• The legitimacy of states is also more permanent than governments

  • For example, few actors would challenge the legitimacy of Afghanistan as a state, but there are many who challenge the legitimacy of the Taliban government currently in charge

Legitimacy and sovereignty

• Legitimacy and sovereignty are connected but not interchangeable

Explaining legitimacy and sovereignty

• If a government lacks legitimacy within the state, this may lead to a break-down of sovereignty

  • For example, violent resistance groups could form

• If a government lacks legitimacy amongst other states or IGOs due to abuses of citizens, they may be more likely to face interference

  • For example, in the form of humanitarian intervention