Relational Authority in the Modern World : Towards a Positive Theory of Legitimacy

Legitimacy is central to nearly all human relationships and, in turn, to most social science theories. The concept was invented to help account for social order in large societies. Since it is too costly to attain order in the long run on the basis of sanctions (whether derived from incentives or naked coercion), it stands to reason that order must also rest, in part, on the consent of the governed. Legitimacy provides a means of referencing the consensual basis of social order. Yet, it is seldom discussed by social scientists because it is " squishy, " vague, impossible to define precisely or operationalize in any neat fashion. Whereas compliance is often observable, how can we know whether it is due to the threat of sanctions or to consent? To the extent that social scientists do take up the concept of legitimacy, they typically employ a procedural or formal-legal conception in which lawful office is understood to confer authority on an actor. For example, one day Arnold Schwarzenegger is simply a wealthy actor, the next he is the Governor with the right to sign or veto legislation, appoint people to various commissions and departments, and represent the State of California. This formal-legal conception may be adequate in established political systems where the rule of law is secure, but it is far less useful in helping us understand the nature of legitimacy in other, more politically contested settings or how to build legitimacy so as to create a rule of law.