ABSTRACT
At its most general, legitimacy is a kind of auxiliary process that explains the stability of ‘any structure at any level that emerges and is maintained by other basic social processes’ (Zelditch 2001: 40). Any social structure must, by definition, be in some sense legitimate if it is to function and be viable in the long term (Tyler 2006b). Institutions, practices and arrangements must, in order to develop, operate and reproduce effectively, be seen as right and proper by those who are subject to them. 1
