Rediscovering Europe in the Netherlands - St Antony's College ...

diagnosis
underlying idea is that citizens who feel they are connected to one another
and to the community they belong to will be more inclined to accept decisions
taken within that community. In modern societies, it is hard to imagine
that feelings of identification alone will be enough to ensure the acceptance
of (unrepresentative and ineffective) decisions. However, where the
other aspects of legitimacy prove to be imperfect in daily practice, feelings
of identification can play an important role in broadening the margins of
what is regarded as acceptable. If political representatives are forced to make
concessions in the decision making process, it will not necessarily lead to
alienation toward a particular policy among the rank and file, especially if
they can identify (feel involved with) the community as a whole. The wrr
also believes that a higher degree of identification leads to a greater tolerance
of policies that may be short of their anticipated outcomes.
The connection between the four sources or dimensions of legitimacy can
also be portrayed in another way, by concluding that each dimension
focuses on a different political object (Easton 1965). In this approach, identification
is the most comprehensive dimension, which focuses on the relationship
between citizens and the political community (polity) they belong
to. Political control aims for a level just below this, which is the specific
configuration of the political system (the ‘regime’ in Easton’s terms) that
has been chosen within the community. At the next level below this one
we find the results, which focus on a specific policy that arises from within
the political system.
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Viewed in this way, it is clear that the four dimensions function, in part,
independently of each other. It is possible that citizens may acknowledge
the legitimacy of a democratic process, even if this results in decisions
they may not (always) like. Similarly, they may raise objections regarding
the structure of the political process, but still feel connected to a particular
political community. If policy continues to systematically fall short, it may
lead to the citizenry becoming increasingly sceptical about the political
system and perhaps even about the political community itself. In this
sense, the four dimensions can interact negatively as well as positively.
The possibility of mutual compensation must also be taken into account.
This means that not all four dimensions need to be developed equally for
all topics. In certain domains, policy results may still have primacy, without
necessarily giving rise to legitimacy problems.
2.2.3 democratic and constitutional approaches
The best way to legitimise political systems has been a constant subject of
debate. Two lines can be identified in the debate, namely the constitutional