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  1. Legitimacy | Government, Political Theory & Philosophy | Britannica

    Legitimacy, popular acceptance of a government, political regime, or system of governance. The word legitimacy can be interpreted in either a normative way or a “positive” (see positivism) way.

  2. Political Legitimacy - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Apr 29, 2010 · Most people probably think it does. But some think that the moral obligation to obey political authority can be separated from an account of legitimate authority, or at least …

  3. Political legitimacy - Wikipedia

    In moral philosophy, the term legitimacy is often positively interpreted as the normative status conferred by a governed people upon their governors' institutions, offices, and actions, based …

  4. Legitimacy - The Princeton Encyclopedia of Self-Determination

    By contrast, legitimacy itself is a fundamentally subjective and normative concept: it exists only in the beliefs of an individual about the rightfulness of rule. It is distinct from legality, in that not all …

  5. Legitimacy (political) | Research Starters - EBSCO

    Political legitimacy refers to the perception and acceptance of authority by the governed population, affecting how people view their government and its right to rule.

  6. LEGITIMACY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

    The meaning of LEGITIMACY is the quality or state of being legitimate.

  7. What Is Government Legitimacy? A Historical Overview of How …

    Nov 1, 2023 · Legitimacy is the popular acceptance of a government, political regime, or system of governance. It’s not just about holding power, but about being accepted as lawful and …

  8. Legitimacy in Politics: A Philosophical Analysis

    May 24, 2025 · At its core, legitimacy refers to the right or authority of a governing body to exercise power over its citizens, based on the perception that it has been properly authorized …

  9. LEGITIMACY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

    LEGITIMACY definition: 1. the quality of being legal : 2. the quality of being reasonable and acceptable: 3. the quality…. Learn more.

  10. What is Legitimacy? - Easy Sociology

    Apr 21, 2025 · At its most basic level, legitimacy refers to the generalized perception or belief that a certain social or political arrangement, authority, or power is valid, acceptable, and deserved.