Description
Legitimacy is loosely defined as ‘the right to rule’ and, in democracies, this right stems from elections and people’s participation in formal and informal political institutions. Many autocracies, however, are able to rule within a democratic framework of elections and other minimally functioning democratic institutions. Recent literature is attempting to study autocracies as a standalone phenomenon, rather than one that develops through democratic backsliding; in this process, it is important to investigate how legitimacy is created and maintained.
With the majority of literature exploring legitimacy from a normative perspective, the very few empirical studies have relied on quantitative data; my work offers the opportunity to study legitimacy ‘from the bottom up,’ situating people in the centre of the research process and recognising their agency. In the specific socio-political context I conducted my research, people discussed their legitimacy beliefs and who they consider a legitimate ruler, thus shedding light on why autocratic governments enjoy a degree of legitimacy. My paper focuses on the methodology I used in collecting data for my PhD project, consisting of elite interviews and short-term ethnography.
