The relationship between people and government is at breaking point.
Understanding what legitimacy means today
Understanding what building and maintaining legitimacy means today through the eyes of communities and understanding what governments can do to strengthen their relationships with communities matters more than ever.
Getting this right matters, or it will become increasingly difficult for governments to function or work well for people; all the more important in a world where working together can improve and even save lives.
What does legitimacy mean to you?
So many of the people we spoke to said they don’t feel they can talk to their government.
That’s why we, at the Centre for Public Impact, have embarked upon a worldwide listening project. We want to know, what does legitimacy mean to you?
Three ways you can get involved:
Finding a more human government
people we’ve spoken to
experts from government and academia
countries so far
Government Legitimacy in North America
We envision a United States where the relationship between the public and the government is restored. Where governments listen to and understand residents, serving in ways that truly addresses the ever-evolving needs and priorities of the people.
1. Tell us what you think
Have your say
This is an ongoing, global research project – we need your input, feedback, views and opinions, wherever you are, and whatever type of government you live under
CPI works with governments around the world, to support them in engaging with their communities and producing better relationships for better outcomes. We particularly help government, the wider public sector and their partners hear unheard voices and those who depend most on vital services listening and responding well.
Join the conversation
Visit us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter – use the hashtag #FindingLegitimacy and tell us what legitimacy means to you.
Share your views
We’d like to know how you feel about legitimacy.
You can get in touch with your views on what legitimacy is, what it should be or could be, or how much of it you feel your government has.
Share your responses to these questions, or tell us anything that comes to mind when you think about Legitimacy.
2. Discover what we’ve heard
We’re speaking to communities, experts, academics, civil servants and politicians all over the world, to find out what legitimacy means to them.
It’s an on-going conversation, and it’s too soon to make any firm conclusions about legitimacy, but we’re finding that many of the views we hear fall into five emerging themes – each as important as the other – that describe people’s feelings about government, and ways in which governments can grow their legitimacy.
Work together with people towards a shared vision
Bring empathy into government
Build an authentic connection
Enable the public to scrutinise government
Value communities’ voices and respond to them
The five emerging themes
Do people feel that they have a stake in a government? Do they feel any sense of common purpose?
“There’s currently no notion of where to go.”
Participant at the community conversation in Mexico.
What dominates public services and processes: departmental structures or people’s needs?
"Government feels uncomfortable hearing how indigenous people were hurt."
Participant at the First Nations conversation in Canada
How are individual government representatives and institutions perceived by communities? Do they speak the same language and can they connect with people emotionally?
Participant at the youth centre conversation in Brixton, South London
What mechanisms exist to allow the public to understand easily what government is doing, why, and who makes decisions? Are these processes as inclusive and accessible as they could be?
“Legitimacy is strong when there is transparency about what processes the government uses to reach its decisions.”
Participant at the community conversation in India.
Is consultation just a box-ticking exercise, or is there a general willingness to listen to people’s voices and turn them into action?
"Voters want governments to show they care about them and have listened to their voice."
Ben Page
Chief executive of Ipsos MORI
3. See what governments are doing
Many governments – local and national – civil society organisations and people worldwide are already working hard to develop a healthy ongoing relationship.
Here are some examples of what can be achieved…
Legitimacy Champions and People's Panel
This project would not have been possible without the support of our legitimacy champions, and People’s Panel who have helped us deepen our understanding of what legitimacy means to people across the world.
If you are interested in becoming a legitimacy champion yourself and hosting a conversation in your country, please get in touch.
We’d love to hear from you.
Featured conversations
One of the toughest questions for governments today relates to their legitimacy – how to think about it, how to solve it, how to understand it and how to strengthen it.
We want to find out what constitutes a strong relationship between government and communities and how this affects public impact.
We are interested in what creates and sustains legitimacy: in government systems, policy processes, and frontline services. And we wanted to give a voice to those people that often do not get heard: people from all different backgrounds, ages, and across all parts of the world.
Read our recent research on how government can rebuild the relationship with communities.
Understanding what legitimacy means today and what governments can do to strengthen it.
Why the so-called “hard to reach” may hold a key to the pandemic recovery – and how government could be listening more inclusively.
Working together to solve problems need not be a fantasy.
Join the conversation
Have a public impact story to share? Get in touch to let us know. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
Finding Legitimacy
Are we experiencing a crisis of legitimacy?
Are we more polarised than ever?
How important is trust in maintaining legitimacy and how do we gain that with one another while grappling with complex challenges?
