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Cited by 716Policing Practices and PerceptionsJudicial and Constitutional StudiesPublic Policy and Administration Research

Popular legitimacy and the exercise of legal authority: Motivating compliance, cooperation, and engagement.

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Tyler, Tom R., Jackson, Jonathan·2014·Psychology, Public Policy, and Law
DOI 10.1037/a0034514
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Abstract

The traditional goal of legal authorities has been to obtain widespread public compliance with the law. Empirical research findings have shown that legitimacy—typically operationalized as the perceived obligation to obey and trust and confidence in the relevant institutions—plays an important role in achieving such compliance. But over time the goals of legal authorities have broadened in 2 ways. First, they increasingly include the desire to motivate willing cooperation, with legal authorities and members of the public working together to produce social order. Second, conceptions of the goals of the legal system have broadened to include the importance of promoting public engagement in communities in efforts to build social, political and economic vitality. Drawing on these broader goals—and building upon recent conceptual advances in the meaning of legitimacy—we report findings from a major new national survey of U.S. citizens. We examine the role that legitimacy plays in achieving each of these goals of law and in defining the policies and practices of the police and courts which influence legitimacy. Importantly, we also consider whether a focus on achieving this broader set of goals leads to a need to reexamine the traditional theoretical conception of legitimacy. Our findings support the utility of a multidimensional conception of legitimacy that differentiates between consent to authority and normative justifiability of power. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)

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  • Legitimacy is vital to the effective function of police as a social institution.

    “Legitimacy—the belief that an individual, group, or institution has the authority to dictate an individual’s behavior and demand their cooperation—is vital to the effective function of police as a social institution (2, 3).”

    From A field experiment on community policing and police legitimacy (2019) · cites this paper as [3]

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Authors
Tyler, T. R., & Jackson, J.
ORCID
Venue
Psychology, Public Policy, and Law
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2014-02
Volume
20
Issue
1
Pages
78-95
ISSN
  • 1076-8971 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1528
DOI
10.1037/a0034514
OpenAlex
W3124082667
Cited by
716
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 49 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 77 · 2023: 62 · 2022: 90 · 2021: 93 · 2020: 58 · 2019: 80 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 2
FWCI
157.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychology Public Policy and Law (publishedVersion)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Yale Law School
  • New York University
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
  • Social Sciences › Law › Judicial and Constitutional Studies
  • Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
Keywords
public legitimacy, legal authority, legal compliance, public cooperation, citizen participation, police practice, judicial practice, social order, institutional trust

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