Legitimacy, Trust and Compliance: An Empirical Test of Procedural Justice Theory Using the European Social Survey

Hough, M., Jackson, J. and Bradford, B. ‘Legitimacy, Trust and Compliance: An Empirical Test of Procedural Justice Theory Using the European Social Survey’, in Tankebe, J. and Liebling, A. (eds.) Legitimacy and Criminal Justice: An International Exploration, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

27 Pages Posted: 17 Mar 2013 Last revised: 9 May 2013

See all articles by Mike Hough

Mike Hough

King’s College London - Institute for Criminal Policy Research

Jonathan Jackson

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology

Ben Bradford

University College London - Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science

Date Written: March 16, 2013

Abstract

This chapter presents findings from a large-scale empirical test of procedural justice theory, which we (and colleagues) designed using the fifth European Social Survey. The chapter first of all locates concerns about institutional legitimacy within a broader framework of ‘compliance theories.’ It then sets out its definitional stall in an attempt to clarify what is meant by the ‘slippery’ concept of legitimacy and how the term is used in different contexts. Then, in testing various hypotheses on procedural justice, we employ a tripartite definition of empirical (i.e. perceived) legitimacy. We define empirical legitimacy as the recognition and justification of the right to exercise power and influence, with influence mostly of the normative (rather than instrumental) variety, and importantly our tripartite notions of consent, moral alignment and legality accord with some well-established social psychological mechanisms of identification and internalisation.

Keywords: Public confidence, trust, legitimacy, cooperation, compliance, contact with the police

JEL Classification: K40

Suggested Citation

Hough, Mike and Jackson, Jonathan and Bradford, Ben, Legitimacy, Trust and Compliance: An Empirical Test of Procedural Justice Theory Using the European Social Survey (March 16, 2013). Hough, M., Jackson, J. and Bradford, B. ‘Legitimacy, Trust and Compliance: An Empirical Test of Procedural Justice Theory Using the European Social Survey’, in Tankebe, J. and Liebling, A. (eds.) Legitimacy and Criminal Justice: An International Exploration, Oxford: Oxford University Press., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2234339 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2234339

Mike Hough (Contact Author)

King’s College London - Institute for Criminal Policy Research ( email )

Strand
London, WC2B 2LS
United Kingdom

Jonathan Jackson

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
+0044-207-955-7652 (Phone)

Ben Bradford

University College London - Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science ( email )

35 Tavistock Square
London, WC1H 9EZ
United Kingdom

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