Citizens are more likely to cooperate with the government if they believe it is legitimate. If they believe it is legitimate, they will see paying taxes, obeying the police, and following the law as their civic responsibilities. Legitimate governments can rely on this cooperation because the people think that obeying the government is the “right” thing to do. This cooperation makes it much easier for the government to carry out the many complicated activities that are needed to run a country. In contrast, illegitimate governments cannot rely on the cooperation of the people. Citizens of illegitimate governments may not pay taxes or follow laws because they think that the government is corrupt and is not taking care of the people’s needs. As a result, these governments need to use a lot of coercion to enforce their laws and collect taxes.

Political Parties, Legitimacy, and Effectiveness

The relationships between (and within) political parties plays an important role in determining both the legitimacy and effectiveness of a government. For example, governance is more effective when the executive can rely on the support of the legislature. If opposition parties do not consider the executive to be legitimate, this will have a negative effect on the effectiveness of the parliament. On the other hand, when the ruling party or coalition has a clear electoral mandate and good inter-party relations with the opposition, this promotes legitimacy of the government and can increase the effectiveness of governance. Of course, there will always be competition and opposition parties might put forward policy alternatives for certain government proposals as they are fulfilling their representation function. These policy alternatives might or might not be adopted. When parties are weak and undisciplined, or the relationships between parliamentary parties are volatile, it is less likely that the president or prime minister will be able to rely on stable support in the legislature.

Even when a ruling party wins a significant share of seats in parliament, a lack of party discipline could make gaining the support of parliament in the legislature more difficult. Consequently, political parties with strong identity based on their programmes and high levels of party cohesion can promote order and stability to parliament and in the executive. This allows governments to pass important legislation more effectively. When parliamentary factions can effectively address the key issues of concern to the electorate based on stable relationships and clear programs, this plays an important role in building the legitimacy of the government. (Payne, Zovatto, and Diaz 2007:150)