State Legitimacy and Terrorism

Creating State Legitimacy – the Five Basic Models

In this paper, I will challenge the widespread idea that democratic elections can be the main instrument for creating political legitimacy and discuss what other types and forms of political practices that may (and may not) create political legitimacy. The argument I criticize is that people will accept a political authority because they have been given the right to take part in “free and fair ...

Legitimacy and Deterrence Effects in Counter-Terrorism Policing: A Study of Muslim Americans

This study considers the circumstances under which members of the Muslim American community voluntarily cooperate with police efforts to combat terrorism. Cooperation is defined to include both a general receptivity toward helping the police in antiterror work and the specific willingness to alert police to terror-related risks in a community. We compare two perspectives on why people cooperate...

Botswana’s “Developmental State” and the Politics of Legitimacy

Starting from a very low base, Botswana has had amongst the most impressive growth figures in the world and has pursued policies that reflect aspects of the developmental state model. Although the country’s development trajectory has not been unproblematic and there are major contradictions in the economy, the example of Botswana is an intriguing example of how development was pursued in a coun...

Private Actors and the Legitimacy of Governance Beyond the State

Performance Legitimacy , State Autonomy and China ’ s Economic Miracle