State Legitimacy and Public Trust: A Constitutional Perspective on Government–Society Relations in Transitional Political Systems
Keywords:
State Legitimacy, Public Trust, Constitutional Governance, Transitional Political Systems, Institutional Performance.
Abstract
State legitimacy and public trust have emerged as central concerns in transitional political systems, where institutional instability and evolving constitutional frameworks often challenge the consolidation of democratic governance. While existing scholarship has extensively examined political legitimacy and citizen trust as separate constructs, limited attention has been given to their integration within a constitutional perspective. This study aims to analyze the relationship between state legitimacy and public trust by situating both within the framework of constitutional governance, with a particular focus on transitional political contexts. Employing a qualitative approach through a systematic literature review, this research synthesizes scholarly works indexed in Scopus and Web of Science over the past decade, focusing on key themes such as constitutionalism, institutional trust, and governance performance. The findings reveal that state legitimacy is not solely derived from formal constitutional arrangements but is significantly shaped by public perceptions of institutional performance, accountability, and the effective enforcement of the rule of law. Moreover, the study identifies a critical gap between normative constitutional design and empirical trust-building processes in transitional systems, often exacerbated by weak institutions and elite capture. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that links constitutional structures, institutional performance, public trust, and state legitimacy as an interconnected cycle. The study contributes to the literature by offering an integrative perspective that bridges constitutional theory and trust dynamics, providing both theoretical advancement and practical insights for strengthening governance in transitional democracies.
References
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34. RoseAckerman, S., & Palifka, B. J. (2016). Corruption and government: Causes, consequences, and reform. Cambridge University Press.
35. Rothstein, B. (2011). The quality of government: Corruption, social trust, and inequality in international perspective. University of Chicago Press.
36. Rothstein, B., & Teorell, J. (2008). What is quality of government? A theory of impartial government institutions. Governance, 21(2), 165–190. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14680491.2008.00391.x
37. Schedler, A. (1999). Conceptualizing accountability. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
38. Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
39. Suchman, M. C. (1995). Managing legitimacy. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 571–610. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9508080331
40. Sunshine, J., & Tyler, T. R. (2003). The role of procedural justice and legitimacy in shaping public support for policing. Law & Society Review, 37(3), 513–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/15405893.3703002
41. Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/14678551.00375
42. Tyler, T. R. (2006). Why people obey the law. Princeton University Press.
43. Van de Walle, S., & Bouckaert, G. (2003). Public service performance and trust in government: The problem of causality. International Journal of Public Administration, 26(8–9), 891–913. https://doi.org/10.1081/PAD120019352
44. van der Meer, T. W. G., & Hakhverdian, A. (2017). Political trust as the evaluation of process and performance: A cross-national study of 42 European countries. Political Studies, 65(1), 81–102. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321715607514
45. Weatherford, M. S. (1992). Measuring political legitimacy. American Political Science Review, 86(1), 149–166. https://doi.org/10.2307/1964021
46. Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society. University of California Press.
47. Zmerli, S., & Van der Meer, T. W. G. (2017). Handbook on political trust. Edward Elgar Publishing.
2. Blind, P. K. (2007). Building trust in government in the twenty-first century: Review of literature and emerging issues. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
3. Bouckaert, G., & Van de Walle, S. (2003). Comparing measures of citizen trust and user satisfaction as indicators of ‘good governance’. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 69(3), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852303693003
4. Bovens, M., & Wille, A. (2008). Deciphering the Dutch drop: Ten explanations for decreasing political trust in the Netherlands. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 74(2), 283–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852308091135
5. Carothers, T. (2002). The end of the transition paradigm. Journal of Democracy, 13(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2002.0003
6. Castells, M. (2012). Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the Internet age. Polity Press.
7. Dahlberg, S., Linde, J., & Holmberg, S. (2015). Democratic discontent in old and new democracies: Assessing the importance of democratic input and governmental output. Political Studies, 63(1), 18–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/14679248.12170
8. Easton, D. (1975). A reassessment of the concept of political support. British Journal of Political Science, 5(4), 435–457. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123400008309
9. Elkins, Z., Ginsburg, T., & Melton, J. (2009). The endurance of national constitutions. Cambridge University Press.
10. Elster, J. (1995). Forces and mechanisms in the constitution making process. Duke Law Journal, 45(2), 364–396. https://doi.org/10.2307/1372906
11. Fukuyama, F. (2015). Political order and political decay. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
12. Gilley, B. (2006). The determinants of state legitimacy. International Political Science Review, 27(1), 47–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512106058634
13. Gilley, B. (2009). The right to rule: How states win and lose legitimacy. Columbia University Press.
14. Grimmelikhuijsen, S., Knies, E., & Tummers, L. (2019). Does transparency increase public trust in government? A systematic review. Public Administration Review, 79(2), 209–221. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12957
15. Habermas, J. (1996). Between facts and norms: Contributions to a discourse theory of law and democracy. MIT Press.
16. Hardin, R. (2002). Trust and trustworthiness. Russell Sage Foundation.
17. Helmke, G., & Levitsky, S. (2004). Informal institutions and comparative politics. Perspectives on Politics, 2(4), 725–740. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592704040472
18. Hetherington, M. J., & Rudolph, T. J. (2015). Why Washington won’t work: Polarization, political trust, and the governing crisis. University of Chicago Press.
19. Jackson, J., & Bradford, B. (2010). What is trust and confidence in the police? Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 4(3), 241–248. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paq020
20. Kriesi, H., & Pappas, T. S. (2015). European populism in the shadow of the great recession. ECPR Press.
21. Levi, M., Sacks, A., & Tyler, T. (2009). Conceptualizing legitimacy, measuring legitimating beliefs. American Behavioral Scientist, 53(3), 354–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764209338797
22. Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2010). Competitive authoritarianism: Hybrid regimes after the Cold War. Cambridge University Press.
23. Linz, J. J., & Stepan, A. (1996). Problems of democratic transition and consolidation. Johns Hopkins University Press.
24. Luhmann, N. (1979). Trust and power. John Wiley & Sons.
25. Mauk, M. (2020). Citizen support for democratic and autocratic regimes. European Journal of Political Research, 59(3), 635–660. https://doi.org/10.1111/14756765.12357
26. Mishler, W., & Rose, R. (2001). What are the origins of political trust? Testing institutional and cultural theories in post-communist societies. Comparative Political Studies, 34(1), 30–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414001034001002
27. Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
28. Morlino, L., & Quaranta, M. (2016). Economic crisis and democracy. International Political Science Review, 37(5), 618–633. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512116639747
29. Newton, K., Stolle, D., & Zmerli, S. (2018). Social and political trust. Oxford University Press.
30. Norris, P. (2011). Democratic deficit: Critical citizens revisited. Cambridge University Press.
31. OECD. (2021). Government at a glance 2021. OECD Publishing.
32. Offe, C. (1999). How can we trust our fellow citizens?. Cambridge University Press.
33. Peter, F. (2017). Political legitimacy. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
34. RoseAckerman, S., & Palifka, B. J. (2016). Corruption and government: Causes, consequences, and reform. Cambridge University Press.
35. Rothstein, B. (2011). The quality of government: Corruption, social trust, and inequality in international perspective. University of Chicago Press.
36. Rothstein, B., & Teorell, J. (2008). What is quality of government? A theory of impartial government institutions. Governance, 21(2), 165–190. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14680491.2008.00391.x
37. Schedler, A. (1999). Conceptualizing accountability. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
38. Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
39. Suchman, M. C. (1995). Managing legitimacy. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 571–610. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9508080331
40. Sunshine, J., & Tyler, T. R. (2003). The role of procedural justice and legitimacy in shaping public support for policing. Law & Society Review, 37(3), 513–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/15405893.3703002
41. Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/14678551.00375
42. Tyler, T. R. (2006). Why people obey the law. Princeton University Press.
43. Van de Walle, S., & Bouckaert, G. (2003). Public service performance and trust in government: The problem of causality. International Journal of Public Administration, 26(8–9), 891–913. https://doi.org/10.1081/PAD120019352
44. van der Meer, T. W. G., & Hakhverdian, A. (2017). Political trust as the evaluation of process and performance: A cross-national study of 42 European countries. Political Studies, 65(1), 81–102. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321715607514
45. Weatherford, M. S. (1992). Measuring political legitimacy. American Political Science Review, 86(1), 149–166. https://doi.org/10.2307/1964021
46. Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society. University of California Press.
47. Zmerli, S., & Van der Meer, T. W. G. (2017). Handbook on political trust. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Published
2024-12-25
How to Cite
Syukur, I. (2024). State Legitimacy and Public Trust: A Constitutional Perspective on Government–Society Relations in Transitional Political Systems. International Journal of Science and Society, 6(4), 501-517. https://doi.org/10.54783/ijsoc.v6i4.1641
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