legitimace

Legitimace is a term used in several languages to denote the state or process of making something legitimate, or the credentials that prove a person’s identity or status. In political science and law, legitimacy refers to the recognized right to exercise power or governance, typically grounded in law, consent of the governed, or adherence to established norms and procedures. Socially, legitimacy is the degree to which actors and institutions are accepted as appropriate and rightful by a given community.

Etymology traces legitimace to Latin legitimare, meaning to make lawful, with subsequent transmission into various European languages. In many contexts, legitimace or its cognates also function as a noun for documents or credentials issued by authorities to verify identity, status, or entitlement.

Applications of legitimace span multiple domains. Political legitimacy concerns the rightful authority of a government or leader. Legal legitimacy involves compliance with statutes and due processes. Social legitimacy refers to broad cultural acceptance of norms and institutions. In administrative practice, legitimace can denote official documents such as identification papers, permits, or credentials that prove a person’s identity or eligibility.

Challenges to legitimacy are common and dynamic. It can be undermined by illegality, coercion, corruption, or failure to deliver public goods. Legitimation processes include elections, rule-of-law practices, transparent administration, and broad social consent. In international contexts, legitimacy influences recognition, diplomacy, and the perceived justification for state actions or interventions.

Notes: meanings vary by language and domain. In English, related terms include legitimacy, legitimization, and credentialing. See also credential, identification.