The Legitimacy Puzzle in Latin America: Political Support and Democracy in Eight Nations [Paperback]

This book examines citizens' attitudes toward the legitimacy of their political systems and the relationship between political legitimacy and democratic stability.Political scientists have worried about the declining support of citizens for their regimes (legitimacy) but have failed to link it empirically to democratic stability. This book addresses the legitimacy puzzle, using exhaustive empirical analysis of high-quality survey data from eight Latin American nations. It examines political legitimacys structure, sources, and effects and reveals why low legitimacy may not be destabilizing.Political scientists have worried about the declining support of citizens for their regimes (legitimacy) but have failed to link it empirically to democratic stability. This book addresses the legitimacy puzzle, using exhaustive empirical analysis of high-quality survey data from eight Latin American nations. It examines political legitimacys structure, sources, and effects and reveals why low legitimacy may not be destabilizing.Political scientists for more than two decades have worried about declining levels of citizens support for their regimes (legitimacy), but have failed to empirically link this decline to the survival or breakdown of democracy. This apparent paradox is the legitimacy puzzle, which this book addresses by examining political legitimacys structure, sources, and effects. With exhaustive empirical analysis of high-quality survey data from eight Latin American nations, it confirms that legitimacy exists as multiple, distinct dimensions. It finds that ones position in society, education, knowledge, information, and experiences shape legitimacy norms. Contrary to expectations, however, citizens who are unhappy with their governments performance do not drop out of politics or resort mainly to destabilizing protest. Rather, the disaffected citizens of these Latin American democracies participate at high rates in conventional politics and in such alternativl#(