government legitimacy
Mandate to govern
Government legitimacy is the acceptance of a government's authority by those it governs—the belief that rulers have the right to rule and that their laws deserve obedience.
Legitimacy may derive from democratic elections, constitutional order, tradition, religious sanction, or simple effectiveness.
A government that loses legitimacy faces resistance, instability, or collapse: The regime's legitimacy crumbled after the disputed election.
- rule of lawSupremacy of established laws
- judicial reviewCourts invalidating unconstitutional acts
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
- social contractAgreement exchanging freedom for order
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
accountability · mandate · transparency · charter · legal precedent · public trust · codification · divine right · compliance · equity · moral authority · fairness · elections · human rights · civil liberties · referendum · public services · majority rule
government legitimacytyranny
Oppressive, absolute governance
despotism · usurpation · authoritarian rule · dictatorship · kleptocracy
government legitimacycoercion
Pressured compliance through threats
brute force · compulsion · intimidation · fear · inertia
government, governments, governmental, govern, governs, governed, governing, governor, governors