Why do People Comply with the Law?: Legitimacy and the Influence of Legal Institutions
2012/07/09 by J. Jackson, Jonathan Jackson, Ben Bradford +9 · 866 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Compliance (psychology) #Computer science #Conceptualization #Crime Patterns and Interventions #Duty #Economic Justice #Institution #Judicial and Constitutional Studies #Law #Legitimacy #Normative #Policing Practices and Perceptions #Political science #Politics #Power (physics) #Procedural justice #Psychology #Sample (material) #Social psychology #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1093/bjc/azs032
published in The British Journal of Criminology 52(6), 1051-1071 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2012/07/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Abstract
This paper extends Tyler’s procedural justice model of public compliance with the law. Analysing data from a national probability sample of adults in England and Wales, we present a new conceptualization of legitimacy based on not just the recognition of power, but also the justification of power. We find that people accept the police’s right to dictate appropriate behaviour not only when they feel a duty to obey officers, but also when they believe that the institution acts according to a shared moral purpose with citizens. Highlighting a number of different routes by which institutions can influence citizen behaviour, our broader normative model provides a better framework for explaining why people are willing to comply with the law.
Citations
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