
The Right to Rule
How States Win and Lose Legitimacy
Bruce Gilley(Author)
Columbia University Press
Will be published approx. on 3. March 2009
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-0-231-13872-7 (ISBN)
Description
Popular perceptions of a state's legitimacy are inextricably bound to its ability to rule. Vast military and material reserves cannot counter the power of a citizen's belief, and the more widespread the crisis of a state's legitimacy, the greater the threat to its stability. Even such established democracies as France and India are losing their moral claims over society, while such highly illiberal states as China and Iran enjoy strong showings of public support. Through a remarkable fusion of empirical research and theory, Bruce Gilley makes clear the link between political consent and political rule. Fixing a definition of legitimacy that is both general and particular, he is able to study the role of legitimacy as it has been maintained and lost in a diverse selection of societies. He begins by detailing the origins of state legitimacy and the methods governments have used to wield it best. He then considers the habits of less successful states, exploring how the process works across different styles of government.
Gilley's unique approach merges a broad study of legitimacy and performance in seventy-two states with a detailed empirical analysis of the mechanisms of legitimation. The results are tested on a case study of Uganda, a country that, after 1986, began to recover from decades of civil war. Considering a range of explanations of other domestic and international phenomena as well, Gilley ultimately argues that, because of its evident real-world importance, legitimacy should occupy a central place in political analysis.
Gilley's unique approach merges a broad study of legitimacy and performance in seventy-two states with a detailed empirical analysis of the mechanisms of legitimation. The results are tested on a case study of Uganda, a country that, after 1986, began to recover from decades of civil war. Considering a range of explanations of other domestic and international phenomena as well, Gilley ultimately argues that, because of its evident real-world importance, legitimacy should occupy a central place in political analysis.
Reviews / Votes
[An] important and ambitious book Survival This work is both normatively and empirically rich; its focus on data and methodology illuminates the subject rather than obscuring it...highly recommended. Choice A useful and long-overdue attempt to define and measure the important idea of legitimacy. -- Vsevolod Gunitskiy Political Science QuarterlyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
15 illus., 15 tables
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
581 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-231-13872-7 (9780231138727)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Bruce Gilley is an assistant professor of political science at Portland State University. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Democracy and is the author of China's Democratic Future: How It Will Happen and Where It Will Lead; Tiger on the Brink: Jiang Zemin and China's New Elite; Model Rebels: The Rise and Fall of China's Richest Village; and, with Andrew J. Nathan, China's New Rulers: The Secret Files.
Content
List of Tables, Figures, and Boxes Introduction 1. The Empirical Study of Legitimacy 2. Sources of Legitimacy 3. Change Over Time: Legitimation 4. A Historical Case: Uganda After 1986 5. The Consequences of Legitimacy Conclusion: Widening Horizons Notes References Index