Legitimacy & Political Stability
Legitimacy or the rightfulness of a regime linked to political obligation, beliefs and
behaviour. Confers on an order or command an authoritative or binding character, thus
transforming power into authority. There are three ideal types of political legitimacy by
Weber which are linked with three kinds of authority to promote political rule.
Traditional authority: legitimate because it has always existed, operates
according to a body of concrete rules, unquestioned because they reflect
tradition how things have always operated
o Hereditary systems of power eg. Dynasty rule in Morocco, Saudi
Arabia
o Promotes values such as deference, respect, duty
o Constitutional monarchical states
Charismatic authority: based on the power of an individual’s personality,
reflects on the capacity of the leader to make direct and personal
appeal,hero or saint. 2 consequences:
1. Its is not based on formal rules no limits
2. Difficult for a system to last its founding figure, the system
does not stay once the leader rule is over
Legal-rational authority: authority linked to defined set of rules, power by constitutional
rules, attached to an office rather than a person so it is far less likely to be abused,
division of power. -> It operates through many institutions.
CONDITIONS FOR LEGITIMACY:
a) Power established according to rules
b) Rules justified in terms of shared beliefs, the governed and the
government must be in a consilience
c) Consent from the part of governed!!
LEGITIMATION PROCESS:
a) Popular consent can be exercised through elections and party
competition
b) Existence of constitutional rules that reflect how people want to be
governed
Legitimation crises:
difficult to legitimize political system on unequal class power
capitalist systems have a motive to expand profit while democracy focuses on
social welfare and increased participation. Thus capitalist democracies cannot satisfy
popular demands and the requirements of market economy based on profit
, Government ‘overload’: governments were subject to ‘over-demand’:
1) politicians outbid one another for more power
2) pressure groups able to besiege government with unrelenting demands
The new right response influenced by the:
‘Fiscal crisis of the welfare state’: crisis in state finances that occurs when expanding
social expenditure coincides with recession and declining tax revenues
the ‘hegemonic project’ tries to establish a rival set of both pro market and pro
individual principles by abandoning extreme individualism and introducing the
intervention of the state
HOWEVER, legitimation crises may lead in more dramatic consequences when
disillusionment for the regime isn’t managed by appropriate policy changes, leading to
repression or revolution. Revolution focuses on change from the core while reform implies a
change in the current system by measures of improvement.
Legitimacy or the rightfulness of a regime linked to political obligation, beliefs and
behaviour. Confers on an order or command an authoritative or binding character, thus
transforming power into authority. There are three ideal types of political legitimacy by
Weber which are linked with three kinds of authority to promote political rule.
Traditional authority: legitimate because it has always existed, operates
according to a body of concrete rules, unquestioned because they reflect
tradition how things have always operated
o Hereditary systems of power eg. Dynasty rule in Morocco, Saudi
Arabia
o Promotes values such as deference, respect, duty
o Constitutional monarchical states
Charismatic authority: based on the power of an individual’s personality,
reflects on the capacity of the leader to make direct and personal
appeal,hero or saint. 2 consequences:
1. Its is not based on formal rules no limits
2. Difficult for a system to last its founding figure, the system
does not stay once the leader rule is over
Legal-rational authority: authority linked to defined set of rules, power by constitutional
rules, attached to an office rather than a person so it is far less likely to be abused,
division of power. -> It operates through many institutions.
CONDITIONS FOR LEGITIMACY:
a) Power established according to rules
b) Rules justified in terms of shared beliefs, the governed and the
government must be in a consilience
c) Consent from the part of governed!!
LEGITIMATION PROCESS:
a) Popular consent can be exercised through elections and party
competition
b) Existence of constitutional rules that reflect how people want to be
governed
Legitimation crises:
difficult to legitimize political system on unequal class power
capitalist systems have a motive to expand profit while democracy focuses on
social welfare and increased participation. Thus capitalist democracies cannot satisfy
popular demands and the requirements of market economy based on profit
, Government ‘overload’: governments were subject to ‘over-demand’:
1) politicians outbid one another for more power
2) pressure groups able to besiege government with unrelenting demands
The new right response influenced by the:
‘Fiscal crisis of the welfare state’: crisis in state finances that occurs when expanding
social expenditure coincides with recession and declining tax revenues
the ‘hegemonic project’ tries to establish a rival set of both pro market and pro
individual principles by abandoning extreme individualism and introducing the
intervention of the state
HOWEVER, legitimation crises may lead in more dramatic consequences when
disillusionment for the regime isn’t managed by appropriate policy changes, leading to
repression or revolution. Revolution focuses on change from the core while reform implies a
change in the current system by measures of improvement.
