Publication

This paper reviews existing approaches to conceptualizing and measuring the legitimacy of states and governments. It also considers some of the informational requirements for measuring legitimacy in weak states for the purposes of improving policies and strategies that are aimed at strengthening them. It argues that successful nation building and the prevention of state failure requires not only a fine-grained understanding of the concept of legitimacy but also a local understanding of the structures of political support and political opposition — and the strength of that support or opposition — within the places where the risks of failure are greatest.